The Girl Who Said No To Death
by Plaid Beans
Summary: Godric was searching for someone to spend the rest of eternity with him. Juliana was simply searching for a lamb. This is the story of the girl who said no to one of the oldest vampires in the world.
1. The Lamb

Call me morbid all you want, but I find elderly people to be very curious. My fascination for the decrepit began fairly recently, when I first noticed that life is much calmer when your old. As neighbors that I watched raise entire generations of families grew old, I noticed their lives seemed to slow down. I found it particularly interesting that they ignored the rush of a big city like Chicago, and just sat outside of their house in perfect tranquility. They could sit on their porch on a midsummer's night alone, with their spouse, or with their entire family, and just watch fireflies imitate stars.

Once I had this epiphany, I, too, began to just sit still and watch nature. I found it comforting to lie on the roof of the old ca' and just watch the stars. In all my years, the stars were one thing that never changed.

Perhaps I appreciated my elderly neighbors so much because I knew I would never be like them. Of all the experiences I lost when I was turned, I most regret never growing old. There are so many beautiful phases to a life, and I was perpetually stuck in a single one. I hated myself for being unable to age, incapable of change, but when I looked at the sky I felt better. At least the stars never changed, they were eternally stuck in a single, beautiful phase. And they couldn't come out during the day either.

By the light of the moon, I saw a shadow flicker in my peripheral vision. The darkened figure darted across the slate shingles behind me. He was quiet, but I could sense Eric from a mile away.

He bowed in respect before approaching me slowly. I had been lying on my back across the roof, but sat up out of politeness in order to speak with him. The blonde, muscular vampire knelt next to me and said in his native tongue, Swedish, "Good evening, Juliana."

"Good evening, Eric." I responded in fluent Swedish, which I had learned many years ago in order to communicate with him, "What brings you to my rooftop tonight?" Seeing Eric almost always resulted in something unexpectedly terrible, but I feigned optimism.

"Godric requests the opportunity to speak with you." I nodded, mostly unsurprised. I had learned to recognize Eric as the metaphorical smoke before the fire. Wherever Eric was, his master was sure to be close to. However, I was concerned as to why Godric should "request" a meeting with me. Never had Godric "requested" anything of me, it was always a direct demand. And I always refused.

In one of my neighbors' backyards, a dog began to yip. Animals were better at sensing danger than humans, and a good guard dog could detect a vampire quickly. I shivered slightly at the noise, and Eric noticed.

"Chihuahua." He stated, as if that would comfort me.

I shrugged and tried to ignore the creature. "I'm more of a cat person."

Eric grinned, and I knew Godric had already informed him of my canine resentment. I wondered when he had last talked about me- or even _thought _about me. Godric's path and mine hadn't crossed in over 100 years.

"Tell Godric that I accept his request. He can meet me here at his earliest convince." It was the diplomatic answer Eric had been waiting for, and he bowed before disappearing amongst the shadows. When he was gone I muttered to myself, "I never am anywhere else, anyways."

Falling back against the cold grey shingles, I began to count stars. One, two, three, four…

***Centuries Ago***

"Seventy three, seventy four, seventy five." I finished counting, and jumped down from the boulder that overlooked the gated flock of sheep. "We're missing one of them."

"Helena has lost one of the sheep!" Irene shouted, pointing her chubby finger at her twin sister.

"I have not! I counted all of them, Juliana, honestly I did. But when we herded them back to the gate, one of them was gone. It's not my fault Juliana!" Helena aggressively defended herself, her eyes beginning to turn misty.

A sheep had been killed by a wolf yesterday, and father was quite upset. I was blamed, but all of the children were warned that if we didn't tend the flock more attentively, we would be severely punished. And since none of his seven daughters wanted to be smacked across the back with a wooden staff, we agreed to be more responsible.

I was the eldest child, and although farming was never considered a "woman's" task, I had been farming since I could walk. My mother could not conceive sons, so Helena, Irene, and I tended to the farm while our younger sisters did housework with our mother. I never minded working on the field, in fact, I enjoyed the country, but it seemed like I was never anywhere else.

I longed to go to the great cities of the Roman Empire, despite the tales of war with barbarians over the country. I was not afraid of war, barbarians, or anything. If anything, I was nervous about being betrothed to a blacksmith, but he seemed kind enough. Theodosius had arm muscles as big as tree trunks, and I knew he could protect me from any barbarians or wars in Rome. Although my father had already given him the gold and our fattest pig, Theodosius still crafted me a beautiful silver ring which I was twisting anxiously around my middle finger at the moment.

The sky was turning indigo with night, and was almost as dark as some of the grapes in our vineyard. There was still some light left in the horizon, so I turned to my apprehensive sisters and said, "We still have time to find that sheep, yet. If we hurry into the forest, I'm sure we can find it before it gets too dark."

Irene looked terrified, her olive skin turning pale with fear. "But Juliana, what about the _wolves_?" I patted her on the shoulder comfortingly and picked up my herding staff.

"Any wolf that comes near us will get a nice thump on the head; and that will teach him to never mess with a daughter of Sabbas again, hmm?"

Helena and Irene nodded worriedly, and held each other tightly as they fallowed me into the forest that our farm bordered. Each sheep had a bell tied to its neck, so we walked quietly through the outskirts of the forest with our ears peeled for a sound of a bell.

The forest quickly became dark from the tall trees, and although we could hear several owls, squirrels, and deer in the forest, we could not hear any bells.

"Juliana," Helena whispered, "I think we should go back to the ca' now. We're not going to find the sheep in these conditions, and-" Suddenly, a choir of howls erupted from deep with in the woods. Helena covered her mouth in order to muffle a scream and Irene grabbed my arm as if she were preparing to faint.

I nodded my agreement, and we silently took our first steps towards heading back home. We probably would have made it home safely, if not for a gust of wind.

A cold breeze blew past us, and carried with it a very faint chime. I recognized that sound, and so did my sisters.

"Juliana," Helena whined, but I interrupted her plea.

"No. We came out here to find it, and we are going to finish that task. Sisters, we have each other, and we'll be safe. No wolf can stop us."

"But he can surely tear us to pieces." Irene muttered hatefully. I spun around, emerald eyes blazing.

"If you two are so weak as to leave a helpless lamb to the wolves, then go back to the ca', because you're no help to me! I, for one, will not listen to it perish." I stepped deeper into the forest in search of the bell, and soon felt the presences of my sisters behind me.

_Ding ling ling. Ding._

"I heard it!" Irene whispered excitedly. "This way!" We hurried after her, and soon she called, "There it is!"

The little white lamb was curled against a tree trunk, shivering. "Poor little soul is cold," Helena sighed, touching her heart. She walked over to it, and was about to scoop up the young animal in her arms when a low growl shook the air. Helena froze, as well as Irene and I, and the face of a snarling wolf emerged from the brush.

He was covered in wiry black hair with a grey underbelly and face. Crouched forward, like he was ready to pounce on my little sister, his long snout was adorned in wrinkles from his bared teeth. Saliva dripped from his lower jaw, and I heard Helena whimper when he took another step towards her.

I blinked, and the creature attacked. He lunged at my sister, barking as he pounced on her chest which knocked her to the ground. Irene screamed for Helena, who had the air knocked out of her. She still managed to protect her neck, which was the creature's target, but the beast bit her arm instead.

"Back!" I cried, as I swung the staff at the wolf's head. It crushed into his skull and he released Helen's arm instantly with a yelp. His dark eyes fixated on me, as blood dripped down into his right eye from the gash I had inflicted. He snarled again, and snapped at me, his jaw still bloody from Helena's wound.

I thrust the end of the staff at him again, but missed. My efforts were not in vain, he still retreated enough for me to lift the lamb out of danger. I tossed the animal behind me to Irene, who was helping Helena off the ground. Roaring like a demon from Hell, the wolf dived at me for the final time. With perfect accuracy I hit him dead on top of the head, and he crumpled to a heap in the dirt.

Assuming he was dead, we all breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, angles in Heaven!" Irene cried, "Let's get out of here!"

"Look!" Helena gasped, pointing with her bloody arm at the wolf. Or, what _had _been the wolf. Instead of a dead dog, a naked man was lying in its place. There was a gash in his head that was bleeding profusely, and he had blue markings along his body unlike anything I had ever seen. "It's a demon man-wolf!"

None of us had ever seen a naked man before, let alone an evil naked man-wolf. So we were dumbstruck for several moments. "What are those designs on his back?" Helena asked.

"The Devil himself must have painted them on him. Oh, Juliana, we must go."

I wasn't quite sure if he was a demon or not, for I had never heard of a man who could shift between the form of a wolf and the form of a person. However, Irene and Helena were quite confident in his demonic heritage, so I didn't protest.

"Have I killed him?" I asked, mostly to myself since I knew Helena and Irene were too shocked to answer. Kneeling down to his face, I touched his neck to see if he was still breathing.

Irene grabbed me by the collar of my crème dress and pulled me away from him. "Don't touch it!" She screamed. "Juliana, we must get far away from here. What if there are more?" Helena began to openly sob at the idea of more man-wolves, and Irene touched her hurt arm. "Our sister needs tending to, and it isn't safe here. We need to leave."

"Yes," a sultry voice cooed from the shadows of the trees, "it isn't safe here."

I felt Irene's hand tense on my shoulder and I knew she was frozen behind me in terror. "Who was that?" she whispered to me. I tried to peer into the trees, but I couldn't see anything. Suddenly, Irene's hand lifted off me. "Where is Helena?" I spun around, but Helena was gone.

"Helena!" I screamed into the woods, but no response returned to me besides the call of a crow. "Sister?"

Irene began to bawl. "Where is my sister?" I held her close to me, with the little white lamb separating us, and shouted again. "Helena?"

A moan emerged from the man-wolf, which caused Irene and I to scream and back away from him. "Where is my sister, demon?" Irene screamed at him, and picked up a stone off the ground to chuck at him.

The rock was nearly about to hit the man when another figure appeared in front of him and caught it. Irene gasped and hid behind me. I could feel her and the lamb shaking in terror. The dark figure dropped the stone onto the earth and turned towards the unconscious man-wolf.

"Where is my sister?" I asked him, who didn't respond. "Tell me," I began threateningly, and took a step towards them, my staff poised to strike. Before I had taken a second step closer, a corpse fell from the sky, and I recognized the mangled body of my sister. Tears instantly flooded my eyes, and I heard Irene scream again.

"Helena!" I squeaked, and knelt down to touch her pretty blonde hair and full flushed cheek. She seemed peaceful in death, but I was too overwhelmed by her throat, which appeared to be ripped apart, to notice. One of my tears hit her face, and I forced myself to look away from the grisly sight. When I looked up however, the naked man and the other man were standing, and staring straight at us.

"Irene," I managed to breathe, "Run." There was silence between all of us for a few seconds, and then I heard Irene dart off. Her footsteps and sobs and the lambs jingling bell were audible for a few more moments before I knew she was out of sight.

The men hadn't moved, they were still staring at me, and I tightened my grip on the staff. "You killed my sister!" I screamed at them, resentment boiling up within me. Another dark figure dropped from the sky, and landed just on the other side of Helena.

"No," he said calmly, "That was me."

Blood covered his face and upper body. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and I could see that he had the same blue markings around his neck and arms as the naked man. He had dark eyes and short dark hair, and he seemed to be staring right into my soul. I could hardly look past his mouth, however, which bore a set of long, sharp fangs.

I felt my chest tighten in fear, and I swung at him subconsciously. He stopped the staff with ease- he didn't even use both hands- and pushed it back at me. I tumbled to the ground, the staff falling out of my hand and out of reach. Then, I began to fear for my life.

The fanged stranger, who appeared to be my age, sixteen, crouched above me. He was dangerously close to me, hardly putting a hand's distance between us. I was leaning on my hands, and tried to scoot myself away from him, but he only moved closer to me. The stranger was able to match all of my actions with exact precision until I was pressed against a tree trunk.

I was trapped by the tree, the earth, and his body, and felt helpless. His breath smelled like decay, and I couldn't help but know that it was because he had just murdered my sister. I was breathing heavily beneath him, and I couldn't control the fact that my breasts touched his chest every time I took in air.

A sinister growl caused me to yelp, but it didn't come from the fanged boy, it came from the same black and grey wolf that had attacked Helena. I shrieked when I saw the wolf's head so unexpectedly close to mine. He had a big head, and his toothy snarl looked like it could easily eat me up. The wolf bit my sleeve and tore a long strip of fabric from my dress. The boy on top of me looked annoyed by that, and pointed into the forest, as if dismissing the wolf. He said something quietly, in what I thought might be Latin, and the wolf and the other man left in a flash of black.

It took me a moment to realize what had just happened, but when I did, I couldn't restrain myself from crying out, "No!" My gut sank a little in my stomach with guilt, as I figured out who the wolf and the man were tracking. I turned to stop them, but the boy shoved my shoulders back against the tree, and leaned closer to me.

"She is dead." He spoke, not of Helena who was obviously dead, but of Irene who I assumed they were currently attacking.

"No! Don't kill her, _please, _don't take another one of my sisters." I begged. He lacked the sympathy that could cause him to care. "Take me, but not them."

He tilted his head slightly as if curious. "You would sacrifice your life for another?"

The weight of the world seemed to be crashing down on me, not to mention the guilt. "I should have had better judgment and turned back. They don't deserve to die for my mistake." I said quietly.

The stranger didn't show any signs of acknowledging what I said.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked, when he didn't respond.

"Yes."

I shivered a little beneath him. "Are you a demon?"

"Yes."

Biting my lip, I analyzed the young devil. "You are Death." I stated.

"Yes."

He reached down and touched my right hand. I allowed him to hold it and bring it to his face.

"You are betrothed?" He asked me without any specific emotion. I thought that was a strange question for Death to ask, but I nodded anyways. "What do they call you?"

"Juliana, daughter of Sabbas," I paused while he stroked the back of my palm. He seemed to be admiring my ring. "I'm going to wed Theodosius, the blacksmith."

The stopped holding my hand, and I let it rest on my lap. "What is you're name, demon?"

His black eyes interlocked with my green ones. "Godric." Without giving me a chance to respond, or to even scream, he snapped my head to the side, and bit into my neck.


	2. A Dress

I prepared the coffin in my basement at dawn. I wore my favorite cotton blue sleeping dress and had my comfiest pillow with me, but I still couldn't find sleep. Centuries had past since the last time I had trouble sleeping, and it was odd that one little visit from Eric should upset me so. I understood fully that if I didn't sleep during the day I would be sick tomorrow night, but I couldn't find it in me to shut my eyes.

By dusk I was no closer to falling asleep, and now knew I couldn't or I would miss my meeting with Godric. Exhausted from doing nothing, I pulled myself from the coffin and walked over to the mirror. Dark circles underlined my eyes making me seem more dead than usual. With my long brown hair in disarray and unnaturally pale skin I could have easily passed as a murder victim. "Ha," I scoffed at my thoughts, "I suppose I am."

Reaching into my dresser I pulled out an old wooden hair brush and tended to my hair. After tying it back with a black ribbon and powdering my face, I looked a little better. I almost left the basement without changing out of my sleeping dress, but then I remembered that it wasn't appropriate for meeting a powerful, ancient vampire.

I owned no white dresses, and never had. For some reason, however, I felt inclined to wear one. Since that was an impossibility, I slid on an indigo dress that went to my knees. Godric might find it unbecoming, and sometimes even I felt uncomfortable showing so much leg, but there was nothing I could do to the contrary. Stores simply did not sell long dresses anymore. Unless I made my own, and I never could master sewing, I was forced to wear the shorter garments of this era.

I was not hungry, and hadn't been for nearly three months. It seemed the older I became the less interested I was in feeding. So, after leaving the basement, I avoided the refrigerator stacked with True Blood, and instead headed outside.

The night air was crisp even though it was midsummer, but that was Chicago for you. I glanced around to make sure nobody could see me before I leapt from the ground to the roof. Staring out across the field that was my backyard, I admired the fireflies. For several minutes I lost myself in admiring their flickering lights, but when I focused back on reality, I turned around to see Godric.

I was startled at first, but then curtseyed in respect. He gave me a small smile, which I was unsure of, and stepped closer to me.

"Juliana," he said softly, and held my hand, "I'm sorry to have kept you awake."

Godric could sense my feelings and location anywhere in the world, so I wasn't surprised that he knew of my restless sleep. Even if he hadn't been listening to my emotions, he could probably see from the state of my eyes that I hadn't slept.

"It appears as though you had a sleepless day as well." I noted as I looked into his eyes which were just as dark as mine, and his short brown hair was disheveled.

Godric was a very handsome vampire, despite his lack of sleep. However, over the years his youthful face had become jaded with time. He was short, but muscular, and always held himself in a way that demanded respect and appreciation. Tonight, however, he appeared softer and more normal then usual. He was slightly hunched over, as if he were finally feeling the pressure of time on his back. But he seemed to light up when he touched my hand.

"I, too, had a poor rest. I have been for quite some time." Godric turned away from me, but continued to hold my hand. He seemed unable to let go. "Actually, I had a nightmare."

I couldn't help but feel concerned. "About what?" I asked.

He was staring at the field of fireflies, and seemed just as transfixed on their twinkling as I had. "About you." Godric's brown eyes gazed into mine, and he squeezed my hand tighter.

I was shocked and terrified at the same time, because I didn't know what this could mean. The vampire had tried to kill me several times over my long life, and I was sure that was his intention tonight. "Godric-" I began.

"No," He interrupted me, and touched my arm comfortingly, "Don't be afraid. I am not here to hurt you."

***Centuries Ago***

I woke up, already terrified. My heart was racing, my head was pounding, and my brain was spinning. Hoping that I had just had a very lucid, horrible dream about the death of my sister, a naked man-wolf, and a fanged boy, I opened my eyes. That was when I realized none of it was a dream.

I was in a dark room, lying on a bed nicer than any back home. The location was unknown to me, which was scary enough. However, when I glanced down, I was much more terrified for another reason.

Naked. I was completely naked. Gasping in horrified embarrassment, I grabbed a handful of linens and covered myself. From the state of my skin, I knew I had been outside; a thin layer of dirt covered my skin and hair. Clearly, someone had stripped me of all my clothing, and then… took me outside? Even on windy days out in the fields, I was never this dirty. The only idea I had as to how I came into such a state was that I had been buried in my sleep. But that simply didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered from across the room. I pulled the sheets closer to me and shouted, "Who is there?"

A boy darted out of the darkness and hovered over me, fangs bared. "Don't be afraid, Juliana," he said, his voice low, "I'm not going to hurt you."

I recognized him from whatever nightmare I had just survived as the boy who had killed my sister. Immediately I felt uneasy, and I scooted away from him, dragging the sheets with me. "Where am I, what are you, and where is my dress?" I squeaked in horror.

"You are at our nest." Godric answered swiftly, and I looked around. The room didn't seem to have any bird-like qualities. "And I am Death."

"You are not," I responded, my voice wavering slightly. "Or else I would be dead."

Godric's face did not display any emotion as he said, "You are dead. I killed you."

Glancing back down at myself, I observed the rapid rise and fall of my chest and the thumping sound in my ears. Therefore, I concluded I was still very much alive and the fanged boy was insane.

"What about my dress?"

Another shadow spoke in my room causing me to jump a little. "It is bad luck to turn a virgin into one of us."

I knew what that meant, but I still couldn't wrap my mind around it. Tears beginning to form in my eyes, I looked down on myself and felt dirty, and not from the earth still stuck to my skin. I was disgusted, and at present, there were only three things I wanted to do: bathe for hours, put on some clothes, and cry.

"Y-you _used _me?" I stuttered, barely able to glance over to Godric.

"We will be together forever." Was his response, which I found neither helpful nor comforting.

I couldn't help but feel ashamed, so I covered my face with my hands and sobbed. I didn't see the boy move over to me, but suddenly I felt his cold hand touch my back.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, when I felt him touch my bare skin. Swinging my arm like a wild woman, I tried to push him away from me. Instead, he grabbed my arm and twisted it backwards, which I was sure would rip it off entirely.

"Do not talk to me that way! I am your maker, you should love me!" He growled back at me, dark eyes blazing with anger. His fangs were bared, but I didn't feel scared. I just felt betrayed and violated. And I hated Godric for those feelings.

"I could never love you for what you have done to me." I returned venomously. Godric's eyes narrowed, and in one fluid motion he snapped my arm backwards. I cried out in pain, and he released my arm. However, Godric's strong grip soon found a new hold on my neck.

"You may not love me," He hissed into my face, "But you will respect me. I am older than you, I am stronger than you, and I can destroy you."

If looks could kill we both would have murdered each other simply by the shear intensity of our hatred conveyed through our eyes. I refused to look away, and so did Godric. He squeezed my neck like an anaconda, and I was unable to breathe.

Thankfully, the other figure touched Godric on the shoulder, and he released me immediately. I focused on my broken arm, which seemed to be in a lot less pain than I had originally thought. They spoke in the same foreign language they had in the forest. I could tell they were talking about me, but I had no idea what was being said. After a few moments, Godric bowed, and left the room.

"Who are you?" I asked the other man who had just saved me from Godric. He was tall and thin, with a deep scar running from his right ear down his jaw, and appeared again on his neck. His black hair was cut short like Godric's, but he had vacant blue eyes that were in direct contrast to Godric's sharp black ones.

"I am Marius. I am Godric's maker." He replied, but turned away and moved to the chest in the corner of the room.

"What are you?" I asked while his back was to me. "And Godric, I suppose…"

"And yourself." He added, causing me to shiver. "You need not be afraid, being one of us has quite a few advantages, like you're already healed arm." I touched my arm again, and was astonished to find that it _was _perfectly healed. He pulled a long white dress out of the chest, folded it carefully in his arms, and then closed the chest. He turned to me with the same emotionless look as Godric. "Different cultures call us different things: death, demon, devil, monster. They are all the same crude title. However, I prefer the Germanic code: vampire."

He darted over to me easily; Marius had super fast movements. He extended the dress out to me, and with one wary hand I took it from him. "You killed my sisters. You're a murder."

The monster didn't seem to mind my cold tone; my father would never have allowed me to use such a tone in his presence. Instead, Marius just shrugged. "We kill humans in order to satisfy our hunger. Vampires must drink the blood of humans in order to survive. We use our fangs to suck it out of their bodies, usually through the neck. We are faster than humans, stronger than humans, and we heal more efficiently than humans."

All this information was so overwhelming. I suppose I appeared as confused as I felt, because Marius laughed. "All you questions will be answered with time, child. As for now, I will retire to the dinning room. Dinner shall be served shortly, and you are expected to attend. I hope that dress is to your liking."

Before I could answer, Marius had disappeared, and left me alone in the chamber.

It took me several minutes to collect myself, and finally I resolved to get dressed and leave this horrid place. The dress was lovely, but I had no interest wearing white outside of my wedding day. However, I was left with no alternatives, so I slipped the dress on and tied it as best as I could to fit me.

The dress reminded me of what I had expected my own wedding dress to look like, if Irene and Helena had ever been allowed to finish creating it for me. I thought about my wedding day, which would surely not be the same now that two of my sisters were dead. But the more I thought about my wedding, the more I realized it would never happen. Now that I was no longer pure, would Theodosius even want me?

Thinking of my ruined wedding caused me to involuntarily touch my middle finger, which was usually the home of my silver engagement ring. However, when I looked down, I realized it was missing. I spent the next several minutes searching around for it, lifting up the pillows, looking under the bed, but it was all in vain. The ring that I had worn anxiously for the past month was missing, and I had no idea where it could be.

I was still partially under the bed searching for the ring when I heard the door creak open from behind me. Gasping slightly at how outrageous I must look, I attempted to gracefully escape from the dust bunnies underneath the mattress. However, when I finally made it out I found myself staring at a pair of black, hairy paws.

With wide green eyes, I turned my head up and discovered that I was face to face with the same wolf that had attacked my sister in the forest. He snarled at me, and I leapt up onto the bed with a speed that surprised me even more than staring into the face of a wolf had. I screamed in fear of the wolf, as well as in fear of myself and my new ability, and stood in the middle of the bed as if it were a boat that was ready to capsize.

The wolf titled his head to the side, curious of what I was so afraid of, and then proceeded to bark at me. He leapt onto the bed, mouth open wide as if to bite me. I did the only thing I could think of, which was to kick the beast away from me. His jaws locked onto my ankle, but the force of my kick hurtled him to the floor. We both yelped in pain.

The wolf was stunned for a moment, but then shook his head and snarled at me. Part of my dress was torn around the ankle, and the wolf had dragged the scrap to the floor with him. He barked at me once more, then grabbed the scrap off the floor and darted out the door.

I stood on the bed, still unsure of what had just happened. I looked down at my leg, and although my ankle was bloody, there was no wound. Sighing in confusion, I leapt from the bed and hurried to the door.

A small flicker of a tail caught my eye down the hall and I hurried in that direction. There was no good reason why I chose to follow the wolf, but since I had no idea where I was supposed to go, I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least follow someone who knew the place.

The residence was enormous, with doors on every side of the hallway. Some of them were open and I realized that it was the sleeping quarters of what was surely a mansion. There were no houses this large in the country, so I figured I must be far away from home.

As I rounded the corner, I entered a large foyer. Several… people… were socializing there, and some looked up as I entered. They would stare at me, as if I were a spectacle, and then would return to their conversation in hushed tones. Embarrassed, I continued to tail the wolf.

The wolf had sat down in front of a door, and when I turned the corner he was staring right at me, expectantly. I froze, not knowing what he was going to do. But instead of attacking me, he pawed the door open and hurried into the room. As I approached the door, I heard a strange noise, and then I heard, "I have the girl, she followed me here."

I paused, out of sight, not desiring to enter anymore. But then I heard Marius call, "Juliana, come in here. Do not keep us waiting much longer or I'll have Godric fetch you." I desired Godric even less, so I reluctantly entered the room.

There was a large table, with many different people sitting around it. I recognized only Godric, Marius and the man-wolf, who happened to be naked. I quickly put my hands up to cover my eyes, and I felt my cheeks flush. "Casius, you must put your robe on. You're causing the lady to blush." When I opened my eyes, he was clothed and I felt an iota more comfortable. Marius stood up to greet me, and waved a hand next to Godric, "You may sit there."

My eyes fell on Godric, who looked at me with a direct, demanding stare. I looked back at Marius, waiting for an alternative location. But when none came, I forced myself to walk over to Godric, and sit next to him.

Casius the man wolf glared at me, and sat down next to Marius and across from me. "This little girl kicked me in the ribs. She could have seriously injured me," He accused. Marius turned to me with a shocked look, and Godric just looked furious.

"Why would you kick Casius? He can't heal like we can!" Godric scolded.

"Calm yourself Godric, Juliana did not know. Werewolves don't have the same abilities as us."

Everyone stared at me expectantly. I doubted they cared that the wolf had bit me first. I refused to apologize. "Pity," I mumbled, "That I didn't hit him harder, He deserves as much for what he did to Helena and Irene," was what I wished I had said, but I held my tongue.

There was no food at the table, despite the fact hat Marius had told me this was dinner. The other guests were talking, and I overheard them discussing a wedding. That only made me want to leave this dreadful place even more, so I turned to Godric and asked, "When will I be able to return home? I'm getting married soon, and I need to be with my family." And then as an after thought I added, "And have you seen my silver ring?"

The table fell quiet and Godric spoke, "You will not be returning home- not ever. Your human life has ended. But you are getting married."

This was all just so overwhelming. "To Theodosius."

Godric shook his head. He reached under the table to touch my clasped hands on my lap. "No. You're marrying me. Tonight."


	3. A Wedding

Godric's hand squeezed mine softly, and he pulled me down so that we both were sitting on the roof. My gaze switched between our interlocked fingers and his face. He was always so difficult to read.

"If you're not here to kill me, then what are you here for?" I asked when he failed to continue the conversation.

He sighed quietly, and said, "I know you hate me, Juliana, and you have every right to. I have done more terrible things to you then I care to admit, even to myself. I have made so many mistakes.

"I have feelings for you that I know you will never return. I do not expect you to. But I want you to know that you have always meant so much to me. You are the strongest woman I have ever met, in all of the 2000 years I've walked this earth. And everything I've done, I have done because I wanted you so much.

"I know I haven't treated you justly. You have survived centuries of pain at my hands. I want to apologize, for all of those years, right now."

He paused, but my mind was some place else. It took me a moment to collect myself, and when I did, I couldn't help but frown. "You expect me to accept one blanket apology, just, for everything?" I asked, incredulously.

My hands slid out of Godric's. "After everything you've done, you assume that a single apology can fix everything?"

I crossed my arms so that Godric wouldn't try to hold my hands again. I stood up, but he didn't; instead, he shrugged sadly. "I didn't say you had to accept my apology."

But I knew that was all he wanted. I, however, wanted so much more.

***Centuries earlier***

"Once you two are married," Marius said, standing up with his glass, as if he were going to make a toast, "you will be together for all eternity." When he saw my clearly horrified expression, he continued, "Godric is a brave warrior and a strong vampire. He can protect you and teach you everything you need to know about our life."

Slowly, I turned my attention from Marius to Godric. I felt my jaw go slack, as I stared at the boy who was supposed to become my husband. The boy who ruined my life.

"Marry- marry _you_?" The question fell out of my mouth like hot oil. I wanted to gag, and spit, and cry at the very idea of marrying Godric. There was nobody I hated more in the entire world than him.

The black eyes of Godric narrowed at my question. It was clear that he disliked my reaction to the thought of spending eternity with him. But I couldn't even fathom eternity; I don't believe anyone really can. But I was repulsed by the idea of even spending one more moment with Godric, let alone the rest of what everyone indicated was going to be a very long life.

I turned back to Marius. "But that's an impossibility. I'm already betrothed to someone else." Instead of responding to me, the head vampire reached into one of his coat pockets, and retrieved a small, white cloth. He set it on the table, and slid it towards me.

I looked around the room, which was entirely silent. Everyone was staring at me. I took a deep breath and pulled back the corners of the cloth.

My silver ring was sitting directly before me. It took all my self-restraint to prevent a loud sigh of relief. But as soon as I reached down to pick up the ring, I realized I had made a serious mistake.

"Ahh!" I squealed in pain, and retracted my hand instantly from the object. The second my skin touched the ring, I felt a terrible burning sensation throughout my entire hand. The tips of my fingertips melted upon contact, and remained stuck to the silver. Although my fingers healed quickly, the pain remained for a few more moments. I clutched my hand to my chest and glanced around the room.

Nobody was laughing, but I could tell that they had all taken some sort of sick amusement from watching me hurt myself. Cassius the man-wolf was even _smirking. _If there was anyone I hated as much as Godric, it definitely would have been Cassius.

Scowling, I pointed to the ring. "That is not my ring. Where is it?"

Marius smiled slightly. "That is your ring. You have changed, not it."

"Silver burns vampires. Everyone knows that." Godric whispered from my left. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something regrettable. He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me back into my chair. He was strong, but I was strong too.

"Don't touch me when I do not wish to be touched!" I snapped at him, and pulled my hand from his grasp. Instantly, Godric was on his feet, fangs bared. Suddenly, I felt my teeth click, and in that instant I realized I, too, had fangs. Quickly, I covered my mouth with my left hand, and with my right, scooped up the silver ring, cloth and all. I swung my arm wildly, but Godric only dodged it because I had the burning metal facing towards him.

I moved as swiftly as my new body would allow me to the door. As I turned to leave I heard Godric shout, "As your maker I command you to stay!" Suddenly, my feet refused to budge. I twirled around on my heel to face him, causing my dress to flail about my ankles in a spiral.

"What have you done to me? Let me go!" I screamed at him.

Marius glided over to me, and set his hand on my shoulder. "Juliana," He crooned, "Life will not be so bad with us."

I suppose he meant that in a comforting way, but I only feared him. I reacted in pure terror and strength. Pulling his arm off my shoulder in one fluid movement, I proceeded to leap onto his back. When I pressed the silver against his neck, he convulsed in pain.

I caught Godric beginning to open his mouth as if to command something else, and I quickly shouted, "Don't you dare say anything! I will shove this into his neck if you command anything more from me!"

Godric snarled at me, and took a step closer. His eyes darted off me for a second and over to Marius. "Master?" He asked warily.

Marius writhed slightly underneath me, but I knew he could over power me if he wished. "What do you want, Juliana? Do you want a life devoid of friends and relationships? There is nothing left for you in your old life. It has ended."

"You destroyed it!"

"But I'm offering you a better one. One with Godric."

My eyes flickered to Godric for a brief moment. I saw no hope for a future there. "I do not want Godric. I do not want you. I do not want this life at all."

I knew there was no turning back now. I pressed the silver into Marius neck just a little more forcibly and breathed, "I can create my own future. As Godric's maker, command him to release me from whatever hold he has."

"No! Don't!" Godric howled and made a movement to dive on the two of us. But Marius was faster.

"Godric! Enough!" Godric was just a foot away from us, frozen, just as he had frozen me. His black eyes were like pits of rage, as he glared at me. "I command you to release Juliana."

The vampire boy paused for a moment, and for that moment I thought I sensed something in him besides brutality and hatred. He seemed… sad. After that one moment he sighed, "You are released."

That was all I desired to hear. I threw myself off Marius, leaving the burning silver stuck to his neck, and darted out of that room.

I had no idea where I was going, but I soon discovered the exit. Once I was outside, I realized I had unbelievable speed. I ran into the woods faster than any animal I had ever seen.

For hours I stumbled through the thick forests as I searched for something familiar. Eventually, I reached a path that led to the nearest town. From there, it was easy to get home.

I felt strong and powerful as I traveled inhumanly fast towards my home. I was free, but I had no idea at what cost.

The lights from the ca' were dim, and as I ran through the fields the lambs darted in all directions to avoid me. It was peculiar, because usually the sheep loved me, but I took little notice of it. I simply attributed their fear to my newfound abilities.

I slowed down once I was out of the field; I didn't want to startle my family. As soon as I approached the door, however, I saw someone peek around the side of the house. It was Antonia, my youngest sister. She had brown hair like me, but blue eyes like Helena and Irene. She squinted through the darkness at me. "Juliana?" She whispered in disbelief.

"Antonia!"

"Juliana!" She squealed and hurried over to me. Right before she leapt into my arms, she dropped the herding staff I had left lying in the woods. It was obvious that she had been left to tend to the flock after Helena, Irene, and my disappearance. What shocked me was not that my father had replaced us so quickly, but the fact that she was only nine and was already herding the sheep.

As we embraced, Antonia began to talk so quickly it was hard to distinguish where one thought began and another ended. "Juliana! Juliana! I'm so happy you're back! You were gone for three days and Father and Mother and Delicia and Camilla and Portia all thought you had perished! But you're here! And you're alive! And Helena and Irene aren't, we found them in the woods and it was so sad. We already told Theodosius that you had passed on but you haven't! I'm so happy you're…"

But the more Antonia talked, the less I listened. Her voice seemed to become more and more distant in my ears, despite the fact her face was only a few inches from mine. I could feel every muscle in her back shift beneath my finger tips. Her breathing was loud, but it was almost completely overshadowed by the pounding in my ears. At first, I thought my heart was racing from the joy at being home, but I wasn't joyful. I was hungry.

The pounding in my ears wasn't my own heart beating, it was the sound of my little sister's. I could see the veins pulsating in her throat, and it seemed as if I could feel the blood rushing through her veins beneath my fingers. I was so terribly hungry, but had no desire for anything that I had ever tasted before. But I did desire something. And my gut was telling me I could find it underneath Antonia's skin.

"Juliana?" Antonia asked, suddenly, trying to pull away from me. "Juliana? What's wrong, sister?" Her blue eyes stared fearfully back at mine. "Juliana, you do not look well." She squirmed in my grasp but I was stronger than her many times over. "Let me go! Juliana, _stop!_"

But I couldn't stop myself. Suddenly, I had my face buried in her neck, and my fangs had pierced her soft, young skin. I couldn't resist, and I fed off my own sister.

I had ravaged her neck so severally that Antonia couldn't even scream for help. With her blood coursing through my veins, I was able to free myself from the hunger. I dropped her to the ground, and tried to revive her, but my efforts were to no avail. Antonia was dead. I had killed her.

I couldn't believe what I had done. The remorse was so terrible, I wanted nothing more than to die. My eyes refused to look anywhere other than Antonia: her face frozen in a look of pure horror, her head nearly decapitated from her small frame. I began to cry, and her blood rained from my eyes. Her blood covered my face, the grass around her, and the collar of my near-wedding-dress.

Painfully, I reached down and stroked her long blonde hair, and held her to my chest. I wanted to embrace her like I had before, but this time with feeling. But the moment was gone. Antonia was gone.

I carried Antonia out into the forest to burry her. I refused to allow my family the pain of burying another child and sibling. I stood over her unmarked grave, leaning on my herding staff to keep from falling over in sadness.

Night had nearly passed to dawn, and the sky was a dark indigo color instead of pure charcoal. Instinctively, I felt the need to leave. I knew my remaining sisters would be waking up in less than an hour, and I didn't want to put anyone else in danger. Reluctantly, I turned to leave my home behind forever.

I was a mere few paces away when I heard a loud, animalistic sneeze from behind me. I spun around, and saw Cassius, in his large, black wolf form. He was standing on my sister's grave, sniffing the dirt. The wolf tilted his big head up to me, and snarled.

My fear of wolves had not diminished in the past few hours, but when I glared at Cassius I felt more hatred than fear. Swinging my staff around, I pointed it threateningly at the beast. "Leave this place, Cassius." His entire top lip had curled up in his snarl, revealing every one of his sharp teeth.

Suddenly, my fangs were bared too, even though I had not willingly commanded them to do so. I tried to let my lack of control not phase my psyche.

I felt Godric before I saw him. He was perched in the tree above Antonia's grave like a crow. The vampire boy leapt down to the earth in one swift, agile movement. I turned my staff on him. "Leave my home, both of you! This is not your land."

"The world is my land." Godric said firmly. With his left foot, he kicked up a patch of dirt on my sister's burial mound. I felt my eye twitch at the disrespect. "And this isn't your home anymore. You have changed. You are a vampire.

"Everywhere you go will be plagued with destruction and death. You will only hurt the people you used to love. I see you already have."

My teeth were grinding with rage. "Get off my sister's grave, or I will force you off of it." I fully expected Godric to attack me, but he simply stepped off the mound with a disgusted look.

"Marius gave me specific order's not to confront you physically. I will not harm you. I am here only to prove to you that you need me. If you had chosen to stay with me, and be my bride, you would have never murdered your sister for blood. We would have provided you will all the blood you needed. Your selfishness was your downfall."

I felt my eyes begin to water again, but I demanded the tears stay in my eyes since I knew they would come out as blood.

"I am your responsibility," I murmured. Godric nodded, I'm sure he thought that he was finally getting though to me. "So everything you have done to me, and everything I have done as a result, is entirely your fault."

Godric's dark eyes narrowed on my face. "It is peculiar how you are so independent and strong-willed, only until you have to face the responsibilities of your own actions. You were my direct responsibility until Marius forced me to release you. Now, however, you are free to do as you please.

"But know that I can feel where you are, no matter how far you run. I'll always be a part of you, and you to me.

"Marius commanded me to leave you unharmed, and _I _will do what my master wishes until the day he dies."

Godric approached me, to the point where only my staff was keeping him at bay. His voice was low, "I'm giving you one last opportunity to follow me through life. Do you accept?" His dark eyes looked promisingly at me, but only for a second.

Through gritted teeth I hissed, "I refuse."

Immediately, his entire demeanor darkened. He pointed at me and spat venomously, "Then know this, Juliana: the day Marius leaves this world will be the day I come after you. And when I do, there will be no command to hold back my wrath."

Godric turned around and looked at the man-wolf. "Come, Cassius. Our business here is complete."

Godric darted off into the woods, and Cassius glanced after him, and then back to me. The look on the wolf's face seemed reminiscent to a human smirk. He lifted up his leg, as if to relieve himself on my sister's grave. I couldn't feel anything inside myself besides furry at that point, and I lost control of myself.

Screaming like some feral woman, I swung the staff down, crashing into the wolf's skull like a spoon to a pea. Immediately, Cassius transformed back into a naked man. I saw Godric appear again, his eyes wide in surprise at my ferocity.

"Godric," I called to him. He managed to tear his eyes off Cassius grisly corpse to watch me twirl the bloody staff in my hand. "Just know that I'm not as weak as you think. And when you come after me, there will be nothing to protect _you _from my wrath."

The vampire's eyes fell on Cassius again, with no appearance of sorrow. In fact, Godric actually looked _relieved _to be rid of the man-wolf. Then he glanced back to me with a small grin "I never thought you were weak, Juliana."


	4. Revenge

"Well," I sighed in irritation, "I am never going to accept an apology from you. So if that is what you are looking for, than you will surely be disappointed." I was pacing on the roof of the ca' while Godric simply stared back up at me. His dark eyes did not have the same ferocity I was used to seeing. Instead, he just looked discouraged.

"I understand."

The vampire didn't move. I expected him to leave after my blunt rejection, but I should have known better. Godric never took rejection well. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me, which brought back many unpleasant memories. It seemed as though Godric's face was always angry when he looked anywhere near me. But this time I could tell he wasn't really staring at me; he was thinking, or remembering, or some combination of the two.

"What else are you here for, Godric?" My voice brought him back to reality. "I refused your apology. You claim to not want to kill me. I honestly do not know why you are here."

Instantly, Godric was on his feet. His speed surprised me, although it probably shouldn't have. I knew how fast and strong Godric was. I also knew how brutal he could be.

"I-" He started, but a low howl echoed from down the street. I felt my skin grow cold, and I cringed at the noise. It was just a house dog, many of the families on my street had dogs. I shouldn't have been afraid, but I couldn't help it. Godric frowned, and looked pitifully at me. In a flash he had vanished.

"Godric?" I shouted, and ran to the edge of the roof. My efforts were futile. He was gone.

He returned ten seconds later with part of his sleeve torn off. "I bound his snout. He won't be frightening you anymore tonight."

It took all of my willpower to refrain from smiling. I couldn't remember a time in my entire life when Godric had done something considerate for me. "There was a time when you used to take pleasure from watching me in a state of terror." I muttered.

"I have changed." He reached out, as if to hold my hand again, but I took a step back. There was a part of me that believed him- that believed that Godric had changed. He seemed calmer, softer, almost gentle. I was surprised he didn't kill the dog; that was not the Godric I remembered. But the part of me that believed Godric could change was small in comparison to the part of me that knew he was a vicious, heartless monster.

***Centuries Ago***

After killing Cassius and my talk with Godric, I was exhausted. My stomach was in knots from the guilt of murdering my sister. Godric's cold voice kept echoing throughout my mind, _You will only hurt the people you used to love. I see you already have. _Kneeling down in front of my sister's grave, I cried.

The sky began to turn pink, with the rising sun. I had an instinctual need to seek cover; the thought of the sun rising gave me shivers, as if there were some danger I couldn't imagine. I ignored my instinct, however, because last time I had let my instinct control me, I had killed my little sister.

Sunlight began to trickle through the leaves of the trees that covered me, and the instant the sun touched my skin, I felt a burning sensation just as hot as the silver. I gasped from the intense pain: seven thousand hot pinpricks all along my face and arms- whatever skin my dress and hair failed to cover- burned me over and over again. I darted around a tree to remain hidden from the sun. I knew I couldn't stay out in the woods all day, but thankfully I knew a place that would easily shield me from the sun.

I gave one last longing look at my sister, and the direction of my home, and bolted deeper into the woods. There was a cave on the slope of a cliff that my sisters and I used to avoid as children because we were afraid of the dark. It took me less than a minute to get to the cave, but by the time I was there my arms were almost completely black with burned skin.

Unlike the silver, the pain of sunlight immediately quit after I was removed from the rays. I put all my weight on my staff and barely managed to move to the farthest corners of what was actually a small cave. Leaning against the wall in complete fatigue, I groaned. Everything was going so horribly wrong, I felt like I was in a terrible dream- a nightmare of horrific proportions.

_ Your selfishness was your downfall, _Godric's voice hissed in my ear. I felt my eyes start to water. I did feel selfish, I should have just listened to Godric and Marius. If I had, nobody else would have died.

Sliding down the cave wall, I curled up into a small ball to fall asleep. There was nothing in the world I wanted more than to wake up as if none of this had ever happened: that I had never met Godric, Marius, or Cassius. That Helena and Irene and I had never lost the lamb. That all my sisters were still alive.

Every time I closed my eyes to fall asleep, I could only picture the deaths that I had seen first hand. Godric's voice continually circled my mind, his dark eyes staring at me, even when I knew he wasn't there.

By nightfall, I hadn't slept a wink. Eventually, I had just given up closing my eyes entirely. What was the point if all I saw were my dead sisters?

I meandered out of the cave without any sort of purpose. The whole world felt cold to me, and I realized just how alone I was. My entire life had been centered around my family. I had no friends except for my sisters. I had not hope for a future except for marriage. And now that I was forced to move on from my old life, I began to understand why Marius had insisted I choose to be with Godric. He had made abundantly clear that I would have a friendless life without them, but I had refused to listen. Now, I was facing the consequences… alone.

With my new speed, I ran as far as I could through the night. I had no direction or destination, but after hours of running I finally slowed down. There were lights in the distance, and I realized that I was finally in the big city- Rome.

This was where I had always wanted to go as a human. This was my dream, the place I thought would help me discover myself. It was the city of infinite possibilities. I couldn't contain a smile as I darted towards what I was sure would be my new home.

Although it was very late at night, people were still wandering about, outside of stores and homes and bath houses. I felt very much at home here; but only until I realized how unprepared I was to live on my own. Where was I going to spend the day? I had no money.

I groaned audibly and attracted some attention. People looked horrified at my blood soaked white dress. I caught a glimpse of myself in a storefront window. Dried blood created lines down my face from my tears. My brown hair was a tangled mess. I looked as though I were the victim of a murder. I suppose I was.

Deciding that being the center of attention wasn't the brightest idea, I quickly walked down a less crowded street. But the more I aimlessly traveled through Rome, the more I realized how hungry I was. I had just drunk from my sister the night before, but I had only taken enough to pull me out of my insanity. Blood loss hadn't caused her death, my teeth nearly taking off her head had.

I resolved to kill someone and drain them dry so that I wouldn't be hungry for a while. Maybe one day I would learn how to drink from someone without killing them, but I was too new to start experimenting with my feeding habits.

I saw someone with long, dark hair and a dress sharply turn off my street and down an alley. Figuring that it would be most advantageous to kill a woman and take her dress so that I didn't look like the murdered bride I was, I began to stalk her. She was moving very fast, she almost seemed to be running from me. I picked up my pace, but lost sight of her as she turned a corner.

When I made it to the corner, I realized it was a dead end. Confused, I entered the area, and looked all around. I could have sworn she walked right in there. My eyes must have deceived me, because she wasn't anywhere. I hit my palm against my forehead and turned to leave. I'd just have to find someone else to kill before sunrise.

Suddenly, an enormous weight crashed down on my back, sending me face first into the dirt. Coughing and sputtering up sand, I tried to stand, but whoever had landed on me was dragging me further into the alley. I strained to reach for my staff, which was just out of reach.

Once the attacker had pulled me all the way into the alley, she let go. I leapt on my feet to run away, but she grabbed me by the hair. "Wait one moment," She called sharply, and reeled me back to her, "Who are you and why are you following me?" I complied with her pulling, and moved back towards her. She pressed me against the wall of a building to keep me from escaping.

The woman was unlike anyone I had ever seen before. I highly doubted that she was Roman, or Italian for that matter. She had long, black hair that was perfectly straight. Her eyes were as dark as Godric's but without the hate. She wasn't much taller than me, but she was certainly older. And it was quite evident that she was stronger than me and decent at surprise attacks.

Glancing down at my dress she rolled her eyes. "Great. A new one." She muttered to herself angrily. "Look. I do not know who you are or if you even speak this language, but you need to leave." Even if she looked foreign, she definitely didn't sound it. I couldn't pick out any strange accent from her at all.

"I do speak this language. My name is Juliana." I introduced myself, although it was a painful introduction, mostly because the woman still had a firm hold on my hair. "And I would appreciate it if you released my hair."

She opened her hand with an exaggerated expression of annoyance. "Well, Juliana, I can tell you are a new born since you still have not changed your clothes from your first kill. But that is _not_ an excuse for entering my territory. You need to leave. Go find your maker and hunt someplace else. Rome is mine." Her voice was harsh, but not threatening. I felt relieved to be in her presence. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had already imagined us becoming friends. She seemed just like me, but older and stronger and with darker hair. She didn't seem to want to kill me, which was a relief after meeting Godric.

But all the pleasure I had at meeting a vampire who wasn't terribly hostile, melted away as she spun on her heel and began to leave. "Wait!" I called after her, and ran to catch up. "Can you help me? My maker and I had a… an argument. I have been released and now I do not have any place to stay when the sun rises. I have only been a vampire for a few nights and I really do not know what I am doing."

The woman looked me up and down with a raised eye brow. "I can see that," she spat distastefully. "So… You need someone to teach you what it means to be a vampire, right?"

"Exactly." I smiled at her, but she returned it with a frown.

"I do not want to be that person. Goodbye."

"What?" I gasped, and quickly grabbed her arm. "Please? I really have nowhere else to go, and no one else to help me."

She looked quite exasperated, and ran a hand through her black hair. "Fine. I'll host you for a day. But once I teach you everything, you need to leave. Understand?" I nodded my head eagerly, but she just shook hers.

"Follow me," She mumbled and took off running- a mere blur in the air. It took all my concentration and speed to follow her down the windy streets, and seemed to me as if she were running in circles. Finally, we arrived on the outskirts of northern Rome at a cottage. She paused at the door, waiting for me to arrive.

"Humph," She grumbled, "I was hoping you would get lost." She liked to talk to herself out loud. I wasn't sure that was normal.

She opened the door of the cottage and entered swiftly and silently, like a cat. I tried to follow after her but I was stopped by some invisible field. I couldn't even raise my hands to touch whatever force was holding me back. The woman laughed, and walked back over to the door. "First rule of being a vampire: you cannot enter a human's house without their permission."

I was confused, and instantly recoiled from the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were- Well, I thought you were when I tried to- but then you attacked me and I just assumed you were like me." I stumbled over my words with embarrassment and shame.

The woman narrowed her dark eyes at me, mostly with a puzzled expression. Finally, her face lit up with surprise and she shook her head. "No, no. I'm not a human. You are so- _ugh_," she groaned in irritation, and turned back into the house, mumbling rude things about me to herself. "Victor!" She called in a sharp voice. I wondered who she was talking to. "Victor, darling, please come here."

While she waited for Victor to arrive she glanced back down at me and said with a shrug. "I'm Mae," she said simply. That was the extent of her introduction.

Slowly, an old man inched to the doorway. He had receding grey hair and a long, white beard. He squinted at Mae, and then turned to me. "Who is this pretty little lady?" He asked her, with a slur. I realized he was missing quite a few of his teeth.

"Victor," she said and he turned his brown eyes to her, "I would appreciate it if you could let this little girl into your house. Would you do that for me?"

The old man turned to me, as if in a dream state, and said, "Please, come in, child."

Instantly the force was gone that had prevented me from entering. I smiled wide and said, "That was remarkable. How did you do that? With your eyes?"

Mae shrugged and led the old man to a chair. She pointed for me to sit down across from him. "It is quite simple," she began and I followed her gestures. "Look the human in the eyes and tell them what you want them to do. If you picture it in your mind, the words become more powerful. It's all about willing the human to do what you want. Try it."

I turned to the elderly man who was picking at a string coming from his shirt. "Victor?" I asked wearily, and he turned his small head up to look me in the face. "Can you…" I paused for a moment to think of something for him to do.

Mae grunted in impatience. "Come on, Julie, his attention is very limited. Just tell him to do anything. Clap his hands," she suggested.

"Victor, can you clap your hands three times for me?" Three claps later I couldn't contain a laugh. Mae grinned a little at my excitement.

"It's really very easy being a vampire. Travel a lot, learn several languages, and just blend in. Never return to the same place twice in the same century. That will keep you from being recognized and killed."

"I already have someone trying to kill me."

Mae didn't look alarmed. "I haven't met a vampire who doesn't have someone looking to see them turned to ash. Just avoid whoever it is. Where is your maker at? What was this altercation you two had?"

I frowned and sighed softly. "He wanted me to marry him and I refused. He probably should have asked me before he turned me."

Mae's dark eyes twinkled a little at the thought. "Hmm, how strange of you to deny him. Most vampires live with their makers for centuries."

I glanced around the cottage. It was small, clearly built to fit one person. "Where's your maker?"

"He died." She said it bluntly, with a certain edge to her voice that warned me against asking further questions about him. I wondered what had happened to him, but I didn't want to annoy Mae.

I looked at her again and remembered another of my questions. "Where are you from?"

"China."

"Where is that?"

Mae's jaw dropped in shock. "Are you serious? Oh wait, I forgot you are a new one. I bet you haven't traveled farther than your farm's fence." She said with a laugh, as if that was too ridiculous to be true. I felt my face flush in offense.

"I am only 17." I defended myself.

Mae shrugged. "I'm over three hundred years old, child." I could tell she was old. Mae had a condescending air about her. She knew who she was and what she wanted. She was smart. But she was clearly a hermit. I doubted if she cared about anyone other than herself.

"Did you ever make a vampire?" I asked.

Mae crossed her arms, as if she didn't like where this conversation was heading. "No. I like my privacy. I like being alone." Instantly she was on her feet. "You can sleep anywhere you want, Victor is instructed to not open any doors or windows during the day. Tomorrow I'll help you find some clothes and a place to stay."

I was running through the forest to get to the abandoned house I had been residing in for almost fifty years now. The house was a short run from Rome, but was all the way on the west side, which made it tolerable for Mae. She still was reluctant to have another vampire live and feed in Rome, but I could tell she was getting used to me. I wasn't her sister or her apprentice. I wasn't even her friend. But we were friendly acquaintances, and that worked for us.

It was difficult to balance my staff and the box of dresses I had stolen from the seamstress as I ran. I resolved to run slower, which was slightly uncomfortable. Speed was strange for me now, I preferred to run everywhere, but if I had to, I would walk. Somewhere in between running and walking was irritating.

A howl erupted from my left, and immediately I stopped in my tracks. The first person I thought of was Cassius. I told myself not to worry, because Cassius was dead. I had killed him by clubbing him with my staff. There was no chance he was alive now. The noise had to have come from a distant wolf: a real wolf, not a strange man-wolf like Cassius.

But my fears multiplied when I heard a chorus of response howls and saw movement in the bush around me. The noises seemed to come from all sides. Swiftly, I dropped the box onto the earth and retrieved my staff. It had been difficult to protect myself from wolves as a human, but I supposed that I had to be stronger now as a vampire.

The first wolf poked his head out of a bush and sneered at me. I waved my staff in his direction. "Go!" I shouted and tried to make myself look bigger. These were classic tactics to scaring wolves. "Go!"

But he didn't leave, and instead stomped towards me, teeth bared. I bit my lip and then realized I had teeth of my own to bare. There was a faint _click _and I hissed at the wolf to show him I could be scary as well.

The wolf wasn't startled like I had anticipated. More wolves came out from behind trees and bushes. I counted twelve. I spun around in a circle and noticed they had surrounded me. I glanced up at the night sky and idly wished I knew how to fly. Go!" I repeated, but they only advanced.

Each wolf was just far enough away that they wouldn't be hit by the staff. Suddenly, my fear of wolves hit me and I felt like crying. They were so close, and there were so many of them, that I was sure I was going to die. "Leave!" I shouted again, but my voice broke.

One of the wolves sat down on his back legs and howled up to the sky. Then, he turned into a man. I gasped, and tried to turn away, but the remaining wolves were still surrounding me with snarls and growls echoing from deep inside of them. I tried my best to keep my eyes open and on the wolf-man's face.

He looked eerily familiar, and I knew instantly whom he reminded me of. It was rather obvious; I had only met one other man-wolf in my life. This new man-wolf had dark hair and brown eyes, with a similar shaped face and height as Cassius. If it weren't for the lack of blue designs on his body, I would have guessed he was Cassius' ghost.

I glanced around nervously, as I looked for a way out. The man-wolf noticed that and laughed. "I have some of my men waiting at your house, if you were planning on running there. They are ordered to kill you on sight."

He had the same smirk Cassius used to wear, but I couldn't find the humor in what he was saying.

"And if you were planning on turning to that foreigner for support, I'm sure she has already been disposed of. You have nowhere to run to, so you might as well relax."

One wolf stepped closer to me, and I almost screamed. There was no possibility of me relaxing in this situation. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" I managed to speak, but my voice was fluctuating from a wave of emotion.

The man narrowed his eyes at me. "Revenge," he hissed. His dark eyes shifted between the tip of my staff and my face. He didn't seem worried about my weapon at all. "You can call me Lucius."

I pointed my staff at him. "I have never crossed you in my entire life. What could you possibly want revenge for?"

"For murdering my father."

I stared at him, and was surprised I had not guessed that sooner. It was clear that this man and Cassius were related.

"Cassius murdered my sisters, so I believe we are even," I spoke sharply, as thoughts of that night resurfaced.

Lucius shook his head. "That's not the way I see it."

The wolves' snarls became louder and more terrifying. I felt myself shrink in my own skin, and all I wanted was to get out of the circle. "Please, you are making a mistake." I begged, but he just scowled at me. I knew Lucius was about to attack me, so I said the only thing that I could think of to distract him. "How did you find me?"

Lucius paused for a second. Suddenly, an eerily recognizable, malicious voice spoke from behind him. "I told them where to find you." I was stunned, and I felt a shiver roll down my spine. The man-wolf stepped aside so that I could face Godric.

I was terrified, but I was angry as well. "Why are you doing this? Is Marius dead?"

Godric's dark eyes glared at me. "No. But I was impatient."

"You are going against your makers direct orders. How can you do that?"

The corners of Godric's mouth titled up into a small smirk. "I am not disobeying Marius, I am simply working around the command. I was commanded not to kill you, so _I _won't. But I figured if I happened to tell some angry werewolves where you lived, that we could just let destiny take its course from there."

I scowled at him, feeling furious, terrified, and slightly betrayed. I hadn't planned on meeting Godric again for a long, long time. I should have never underestimated him. I should have known Godric wouldn't fight fair.

Godric winked at me before turning to Lucius. "Do with her as you please," he said with a painful amount of aloofness. The wolves began to howl excitedly at Godric's words.

Godric looked at me once more, almost regretfully, and then looked to the sky. Then the vampire shot into the air and out of sight, leaving me surrounded by twelve vicious werewolves.


	5. Werewolves

**AN: Thank you for all the continued support! I appreciate everything- the reviews, alerts, fav's- I love it all! Sorry I've been updating less frequently, I've been on vacation. Next chapter has Eric in it! I can't wait to update that one. But enjoy this for now ;)**

"_You _changed?" I asked doubtfully. Godric nodded.

"And you want to apologize for all those times you tried to kill me in the past?" He nodded again. I refused to believe him.

Scoffing, I turned to the side- I never turned my back on Godric, so this was as far as I could go. Godric frowned, but it wasn't out of anger or frustration. He seemed almost _hurt _by my lack of faith in him.

"Do you believe people never change, Juliana?"

I shook my head, looking at him sideways. "I do not believe _you_ can change, Godric. Do not put words in my mouth. I have faith in humanity."

"But you haven't any faith in me."

I couldn't respond to Godric, because the truth was too harsh for my lips to repeat.

I narrowed my eyes at a firefly dancing in the field below us. He flickered at me, and continued to fly around his friends. It was nearing the end of the night, and I knew the fireflies would soon depart for the day. I figured Godric would leave soon as well.

He glanced down at the fireflies and then back to me. "When I watch nature, it reminds me of how unnatural I am. You seem to find solace in it."

Over the course of my long, 1700 years or so with Godric, the most accurate term to describe our relationship would be enemies. From the moment I met Godric, he had done everything in his power to ruin my life. He had succeeded in ruining my human life- of course, Godric succeeded in almost everything he put his mind to- but he didn't stop there. Godric wouldn't rest until he destroyed my second life as well. This is one of the rare times he didn't succeed.

But enemies weren't all that we were, in fact, we were mostly strangers to each other. I saw Godric sporadically, and when our paths did cross, we rarely spoke more than a few malicious words to each other. I knew almost nothing personal about him, he never told me anything about himself.

And now he was telling me how watching fireflies dance makes him uncomfortable. I was shocked. "Nature is more like us than you think. In the centuries I've lived on this planet, people, ideas, buildings, cities, and empires, have all changed- but not nature. Every day, every year, all the time, it stays the same. The sun still rises and sets. The moon still phases. The trees grow the same as they always did. The beings themselves live, grow, and die unlike us, but nature itself is remarkably similar."

Godric tilted his head towards the starry sky. He was standing by my side, and I could feel his arm graze mine when he sighed. "Sometimes I feel like I just don't belong."

I knew the feeling. It was the sensation of being lost in a world where everyone had a purpose. I once saw a little girl in a super market, searching for her mother. She looked so scared, all alone, while everyone just continued on with their lives. Her mother quickly found her, but for a moment she was all alone. I suspected Godric was feeling the same way.

***Centuries Ago***

Lucius glared at me, and I tried not to appear afraid.

"I'll at least take one of your men down with me," I whispered to him, but he just turned his lip up in disgust.

"You can try." He snarled, and then turned back into his wolf form in a matter of nanoseconds. I braced myself for the attack.

I considered running for a moment, but my fear wasn't strong enough to overpower me. However this fight was going to end was of no concern to me. I knew Godric was still watching, and I refused to allow him to see me act cowardly. Twelve against one was a terrible odd, and I knew that. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself for all eternity if I didn't even try.

Lucius attacked first, and I swung the wooden staff wildly to protect myself. I hit him across his left rib cage, and he tumbled to the dirt. That started the frenzy, and instantly I was drowning in a sea of sharp toothed monsters.

A wolf from behind me jumped on my back, biting into my shoulder as he propelled me to the ground. I screamed in the shock of the moment, but managed to thrust him off me. Rolling, in the earth, I struggled to kick a wolf away from me, but another one sunk his teeth into my arm and dragged me several feet. Two more jumped on my chest and bit into my neck and belly.

Soon I was being bit everywhere and the wolves were transforming back into men. They screamed in happiness, and I wondered why they weren't killing me. They had my blood dripping from their mouths, and I saw their pupils start to grow larger, making their eyes completely black. I figured as men, they wouldn't be stronger than me, and I tried to wiggle away from them. My efforts were fruitless, however, they weren't stronger as men- but they were stronger with my blood in their system.

My wounds began to heal, and half of them men held me down while the other half transformed back into wolves. They tore into me, trying to get me to bleed more than trying to inflict a mortal wound. Using their teeth and tongues, they lapped up my blood.

I could feel myself dying. The more I tried to escape, the more tired I became. My head grew heavy, and I had trouble seeing. I could hear the wolves snarling and barking, and the humans laughing and shouting.

In one, last, feeble attempt, I managed to loop my fingers around the forearm of one of the men. I squeezed as hard as I could, breaking his arm. Some of the wolves and men stopped attacking me to see who was injured, but others hardly acknowledged his cries of pain. Nobody acknowledged mine. One man who had been holding down my left shoulder stood up, and kicked me across the face. I lost consciousness instantly.

I awoke in a small, dark area. My entire body was throbbing and my head was still heavy. I could feel a metal collar wrapping around my neck, and could see a chain dangling from above me. With my left hand, I reached to feel the collar, but instantly my fingers were on fire. I gasped aloud, and quickly removed my hand, knowing what I had just touched.

A metal door swung open at the sound of my cry. Several pairs of feet marched into the room and stood around me. I was sprawled across the damp, cold floor, and had to tilt my head to see the faces. I recognized a few of them as the human forms of the werewolves that had attacked me in the forest. Lucius sauntered in after them, fully dressed in dark blue, his black hair combed perfectly to the side. I tried to stand, but I couldn't even manage to sit up. I collapsed back onto the ground with a low whimper.

Lucius smiled evilly. "I brought you a snack."

He snapped his fingers, and some more werewolves pushed a small human into the room; he was no older than me. I knew I needed to feed, and so did the werewolves.

"Why…" I tried to ask why they had kept me alive, but my throat was so dry I couldn't find my voice.

"Because your blood is too valuable to waste." Lucius answered my unfinished question, and turned to leave. "By the way," He called tauntingly over his shoulder, "The neck brace and chair are coated in silver to prevent any futile attempts at escape. But I know you will not try to do that, will you, Juliana?"

The gang of werewolves stomped out of the room, and slammed the door closed. I could hear their feet echo down the hallway outside of the room, but then I lost track of where they were. I couldn't focus. I needed blood.

I rolled my head to the side to see the human. He wasn't much older than what I looked. He had thick, dark hair and a strong, but thin build. He had light brown eyes that narrowed when he saw me analyzing him. "Don't even think about it, vampire." He warned. "I'll kill you if you even try to come close to me."

I scoffed weakly and slightly shook my head. "I could… do not underestimate me."

"You look like Death," was his tart response. The word "death" reminded me of Godric, and an adrenaline rush hit me. I was angry, and my hatred gave me strength. I used all of my power to push my body off the ground, and I leaned against the wall in a sitting position. The human was doing the same across the room.

He seemed nervous now that I was sitting up. "I'm strong!" he yelled at me. "Don't come any closer!"

"Shush," I mumbled, and pressed a hand to my throbbing temple. "I already have a headache from lack of blood…"

I tried to think about why the werewolves would want to keep me alive. Lucius said my blood was valuable, but I didn't know what that meant. The werewolves did seem to enjoy my blood; it seemed to change them, make them stronger.

If they had killed me, then they would have lost any opportunity of gaining more blood from me. Clearly, they were keeping me alive just to continue to feed off me. As long as I was drinking blood, they would have blood to drink from me.

The boy sat against the wall with his knees tucked close to his chest. A long chain wrapped around him on the floor. It connected his two wrists together with about a foot and a half of metal, and his wrists to his ankles, so that it would be impossible for him to raise his hands higher than his head. His ankles were bound together as well, which would make running a challenge.

I glanced around the room we were both being stored. There were thick, cold stone bricks that went twenty feet up the walls where they turned into the ceiling. No windows. The floor was the same cold stone, but for some reason the ground was damp which made our stay even more uncomfortable. There was only one door in the corner. I suspected the door was locked.

"What is your name?" I asked.

The boy narrowed his eyes at me. "Why do you care? You just want to drink my blood. You are going to kill me, I know it." He crossed his arms angrily, but the process was awkward with the tight chain.

"I am not. I will not let them keep me a live to be their own personal blood source."

"Hmph," I barely caught the human roll his eyes at me, "vampires feed off humans, but they refuse to let werewolves feed off them."

Instantly, I was offended. But I thought about what he had said and realized he was right. "Name?" I asked again, my voice cracking from dehydration.

The human narrowed his eyes at me. "Theo."

I felt my stomach turn to stone. "Theo?" I repeated, wondering if this was some sort of bizarre plan of Godric's or if this was just coincident. "Like, Theodosius?"

Theo raised an eye brow at me. "It is a family name. Why?"

"You wouldn't happen to be a blacksmith by trade, right?"

Theo looked surprised. "Can vampire's read minds or something?"

I did some quick calculations in my head. "Who's your grandmother?"

"Why are you asking me these questions? Why do you care?"

"It's just that… I used to know a Theodosius." For a moment I lost myself in my old memories. I had only met Theodosius a few times before our marriage was arranged. He was an intelligent man. He was strong, and he liked his trade. He was new to love, as was I, but he was charming. I felt my finger, and remembered a time when I was able to wear the engagement ring he had given me. Unfortunately, silver wasn't a good accessory for me anymore.

I continued to ask Theo about his family, but he remained silent. It was evident he didn't trust me enough to discuss his family with me.

Theo looked up from his shackled wrists to me. I could tell he didn't want to tell me anything. But I was persistent, and Theo was nervous beneath his tough façade. Eventually, he began to talk. "My grandparents did not like to tell the story a lot. I could tell it still was painful for them to think about, even after all those years.

"Delicia, my grandmother, used to talk about her sisters a lot; she said she had six. Naturally, we wondered what she was talking about, since we had only ever met two of them. Delicia said that one night, three of her sisters went into the forest, and two were found dead. They were brutalized, mauled, and bloodless. Only a monster could have caused that kind of destruction. Not even wolves were that evil.

"One sister they never found. She was supposed to wed my grandfather. Her family assumed she was dead. Two nights later, another sister went missing. They never found her either.

"Delcia's father, Sabbas, had already accepted the bride price. He decided that it would be beneficial to all involved if another sister were to marry Theodosius in the missing sister's place. That's how Delica became my grandmother, by default."

Theo finished his story with a distrustful look in my direction. "But you wouldn't know anything about that story, would you?" I just stared back at him, my mind racing. Theo scoffed, "I bet you're the one who killed them."

I wanted to rip his throat out for saying that. He had no idea what I had been through. "I am Juliana," I hissed.

He scowled at me. "I heard that wolf-man say your name. I know who you are, vampire."

"I am Juliana," I repeated, through gritted teeth. "The woman your grandfather was supposed to marry. The oldest sister of Delicia. I was killed that night, as your grandmother suspected, but I was reborn as a vampire."

Theo's mouth was slightly ajar. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if trying to find some resemblance in my face. Confused, he mumbled, "I don't know what to say."

"Come here," I commanded. Theo shook his head adamantly.

"No chance of that. You'll kill me."

"I will not. Come here and I'll free you. Perhaps we can help each other."

Theo looked warily at me. "What would I have to do for you?"

"If you know your trade anything like your grandfather did, you should have no trouble unlocking this neck brace once I create a pick for you."

The boy looked around the room hopelessly. "How would you make the pick? There's nothing in this room but us and some cold stone walls."

I held out my hand to him. "Come here and I will show you."

Theo spent a while just staring at me, not sure if he was willing to trust me. Finally, he let out a deep sigh, and stood up using the wall for support. He teetered over to me, his chains clinking all the way from one side of the room to the other. I was afraid the wolves would hear him and come back into the room but they didn't.

Theo stood just out of my reach, so I rocked forward and grabbed the chain between his wrists and pulled him to me. He gasped in surprise and opened his mouth for what I knew was going to be a deadly scream, but I quickly covered his mouth.

"Shush! Do not be alarmed."

He was looking directly in my eyes and I took advantage of that. "Do not scream," I commanded in a soothing voice. Theo nodded.

"I will not scream," He complied, in a dreamy voice, "Please, don't kill me."

I rolled my eyes and squeezed my hand that still grasped the chain. The chain shattered immediately; even in my weakened state I could break steal. I moved my hand lower and broke his foot bindings, and then he was free.

Using my strong fingernails, I molded a small piece of chain into a pick. Theo was out of his hypnosis now, and he rubbed his sore wrists while watching me work. "A little thinner and I can open the lock," he advised. Once the pick was the right size, Theo knelt down next to me to begin working.

His face was very close to mine, and I couldn't help but see the remarkable similarities between him and Theodosious. I could even see some facial features he shared with my sister. For a moment, I wished I had stayed in better contact with my family, but I quickly rejected that thought. I didn't regret not watching my family, because I knew I was still too dangerous to be around them.

Theo's neck was very close to my face. I could see the blood pulsing under his skin. Saliva began to pool on my tongue. _No!_ My conscience screamed at me, _Theo is your grand nephew, or something. You are family. You do not want another dead family member hanging over your head. _

I tried to focus on counting the hairs on Theo's chin instead of the veins in his neck. It seemed to work, because I almost didn't notice the brace clatter to the floor. Theo helped me get to my feet, because I was still very weak. I needed blood tonight, but I knew we still had a lot more left to do if we wanted to escape from the werewolves.

We hurried to the door, which was as expected, locked. Theo began to stick the pick into the lock but I pushed him away. "The door is not silver," I told him, "I can handle this."

I thrust my shoulder against the wood, and the door shattered. We hurried into the hallway, and there were three werewolves ready to stop our escape. They were still in their man form, and I took advantage of that. Three neck snaps later, we were continuing down the hall.

"This way," Theo pointed to a closed door. "They took me through this door before they brought me to you."

He opened the door, and I followed him through another series of passage ways. Finally, we made it outside, thankfully without encountering any more werewolves. Theo laughed and clapped his hands. I was still nervous. "We need to go, it is not safe here."

"I'm going home, I only live a short distance this way." He pointed into the forest, but then looked worriedly at me. "Thank you, Juliana, for everything. But you need to leave, the sun will be out in less than an hour I fear."

I looked at the sky, and knew he was right. It was already turning purple. "Have a nice life," I said to Theo, and then darted into the forest.

I had no idea where I was, I didn't recognize the forest or the paths or the towns I crossed. Finally, I found an abandoned house and collapsed in there. I didn't know if I would survive the day. I felt so weak and tired from running on almost no blood. Crawling into a bedroom, I couldn't even get on top of the bed. I propped myself against the bed and sighed. My head fell to my knees and I shut my eyes.

_Creak. _It sounded like a door or window opening. I tilted my head up, and saw Godric sitting on the windowsill. He was frowning at me. "They failed," He mumbled to himself, his dark eyes assessing me. I wanted to kill him, but I didn't have the strength to even stand up.

There was no human residing in the house, which made it easy for Godric to enter. In a flash, he was standing over me. He put his hand on my head, and let it slide down my hair to my cheek. I threw my arm up to push him away, but he had vanished. The window was closed, and Godric was gone.


	6. Brother

**AN: THANK YOU ALL! No, seriously, I really love everyone who reads this- even if you don't review/alert/fav. But I especially love the people who do. :D I decided to start replying to all the reviews because I love them so much. Hopefully that didn't just make you think ,"S***, I don't want this crazy Plaid Beans chick messaging me. Now I won't review her." Oh well, even if it did, I'm just doing it because you all rock! **

Godric and I were both silent, staring down from the roof at the world around us. The neighborhood was still, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before it began to rise from its sleep.

I felt the roof creak from behind us, and Godric and I turned around simultaneously. A tall, fair man was standing a few feet away, his head slightly tilted down in respect.

He had been facing Godric, but his blue eyes cut to me. "Pardon me for interrupting," Eric began, "But we need to be leaving. The sun will be up in less than an hour."

Godric nodded, and Eric backed off. Eric followed Godric's orders impeccably, even the silent ones. Turning to me, Godric let out a deep sigh, followed by a small smile. "We must be moving on. It was a pleasure to see you again, Juliana."

This was the goodbye I had been waiting for the entire night. Godric had come, and baffled me by not threatening me at all. He had confused me with his sudden change of heart... and mind, for that matter. When I tried to recap the meeting in my head, it came out surprisingly short: Godric said he wasn't going to hurt me, Godric apologized, and Godric claimed to have changed. That was it.

The whole night I had imagined a point where everything would go wildly out of control and we would undoubtedly try to kill each other. I figured that it would happen now, as he was leaving. As if Godric would turn to me and sneer, "I lied." Then, jump on me, teeth bared.

But as Godric took my hand into his, and his lips brushed against my cheek in a light kiss, I had trouble believing that the night would end in a bloodbath. Godric began to walk away, letting his hand slowly slip out of mine, and then he turned his back on me.

I had a deep, sickening sensation in my stomach that this was something more than a simple goodbye- that this was our paths uncrossing forever. I had hoped for this my entire life, but now that it was here and I could feel the change in my soul, I didn't want it. I wasn't ready.

"Wait," I called out to him. Godric turned around first, and then Eric. "Perhaps you could spend the day here- unless you have somewhere else to be."

The corners of Godric's mouth tilted upwards, and his eyes began to flicker with life again. He took a step towards me, but Eric grabbed Godric's shoulder. He whispered in Swedish, "This could be a trap," and looked warningly at me. I felt a pang in my chest from the insult.

"I am being hospitable," I clarified sharply in Swedish, just to remind him that I spoke the language too.

"Godric," Eric mumbled uneasily, but Godric just shrugged out of Eric's grasp. Eric was over a foot and a half taller than Godric, but that never stopped Godric from making decisions for the both of them.

"Thank you," Godric said to me, "we would love to spend the day here- if it's no inconvenience to you."

"None whatsoever," I replied. "Come this way," I directed them off the roof and to the front door. Godric entered first, and then Eric. His blue eyes narrowed down at me distrustfully, but he headed through the door all the same.

***Centuries Ago***

I awoke in the middle of the night, having slept most of it away due to the blood loss. There merely was not enough energy to do even the simplest of things, like waking up. I crawled to the window and looked out. No Godric.

There was not a doubt in my mind that I needed blood. I couldn't go much longer without it. I stumbled out of the window and used trees as support as I attempted to walk through the forest. When I reached the first path, I was too tired to continue, so I lied down in the road for a rest. Thankfully, a carriage was traveling late and had to pause when they saw me. A middle aged man knelt down next to me and touched my shoulder, as he tried to nudge me to consciousness. It worked, and I lunged for his neck, sinking my teeth into his flesh to retrieve his blood.

I nearly drank the man dry, and once I was done, I felt worlds better than I had before. I felt like a new woman, more powerful and stronger than ever before.

I decided to find my old house and gather my belongings. It took an hour to locate it, the werewolves had taken me very far away. But when I walked inside, I found my home had been ransacked. My dresses were strewn everywhere, my modest amount of furniture was shattered, and I was pretty sure that one of the wolves had marked his territory on my bed. Disgusted, I resolved to leave the place alone and never look back.

I had hardly run a mile away from my house when I ran straight into a small, dark rock. I flew back several feet and lay in the dirt, stunned. "Juliana?" The rock asked me.

"What?"

Suddenly, a woman was standing over me, and I realized that I hadn't run into a rock, I had run into Mae. "Juliana! I have been looking everywhere for you! Those damn werewolves took you, didn't they? I never did teach you how to fight them, I'm sorry."

"Mae!" I cried, and jumped up to hug her. We had never hugged before, and she paused for a second before embracing me too. "Lucius told me he sent some wolves to kill you, and I just assumed-"

"What?" She snapped, pulling me away from her with an insulted look on her face, "You thought that would work? I can handle werewolves fine. All you have to do is get them before they get you. And that isn't very difficult because werewolves are a dumb breed. I bet they licked up all your blood, didn't they?" I nodded, but Mae just shook her head. "Well, once they do that their strength is challenging. Best to kill them in their human form or get them one at a time. So, what happened? How many were there?"

I began to tell Mae the entire tale, but when I got to the part about Godric being the mastermind, I got a little off topic.

"I never thought that he would try to kill me before Marius died. Marius is Godric's maker and he commanded Godric to let me live. But now… now I don't know what to think," I groaned.

I was sitting on a tree stump and Mae was sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of a bed of grass. She was plucking at a daisy head with a stick, sparing with it like it was a knight.

"Well, your maker is as evil as the devil's right hand," Mae said, still fighting flowers, "But what are you going to do about it?"

I thought about that for a moment. Then, I was struck with an epiphany. "I need to kill Godric!"

Mae's dark eyes glanced up at me. "Bad idea."

"No, it is not a bad idea. It is a great idea. Godric won't be suspecting _me _to come after _him_. He'll never see it coming! And besides, he isn't allowed to kill me. He physically _can't_. If I attack him, he can't even attack me back! Isn't that brilliant?"

Mae scoffed, and shook her head. "You are so naïve. You think you can just waltz right up to your maker and stick a stake into him, is that right?" She glanced up from her flower and locked eyes with me. "You are wrong. There's an attraction between maker and progeny that can't be described in words. You are bound in the soul. It is deeper than lovers, or parent and child, or brother and sister, or friends. He did not just give you life, he gave you second chance- whether or not you wanted it is irrelevant. If you did kill him, you would kill a part of yourself too. You might not realize it now, but your maker is an essential part of you. When he dies, there's this cold despair, like you having nothing left in the world…."

Mae quickly looked away from me, and back down to her flower. I knew Mae's maker had died, but I had never realized what a loss that had been to her. Clearly, it had been severe. Mae pierced the daisy through its center with the stick, causing some of the petals to float off. She sighed and turned back to me, "I fear that killing him won't be as easy as you perceive it to be."

Mae was three hundred years older than me. She was as close to a friend that I had in the entire world. I would have been stupid not to heed her advice. "What would you suggest?" I asked in a defeated sigh.

Mae grinned. "Well, what I suggested from the moment I met you: Get out of Rome. Godric can find you anywhere in the world, as long as your alive. Might as well not make it easy for him by staying within a mile from the place he turned you."

I shook my head at her exaggeration, but I knew she was right. "I guess I'll be moving on then. Thanks for all your help, Mae."

Mae stood up with me, but she seemed conflicted. "I know this goes against everything that I've believed in for the past few centuries but… why not? I'll come with you."

"What? Really?"

"Of course. I cannot, in good conscience, let you roam the world alone with your sinister maker hunting you down. What kind of person would that make me?"

I smirked. "So, you are my friend."

"Well, lets not get crazy."

If I could have traveled the world with anyone, I would choose Mae for several reasons. One, she was neat. She could kill people without making a mess of the situation. This made it easy for us to live in the same spot for years at a time without being noticed. Plus, she kept the house looking nice. Two, she spoke a million languages. Well, that wasn't quite true, but we never encountered a language she didn't speak fluently. Traveling with her helped me learn more languages than I thought possible to know. We could live anywhere that way, which would make it difficult for Godric to find me. Three, Mae was strong. She never lost a battle. I knew that would come in handy one day.

I traveled with Mae through countless empires, dozens of countries, and hundreds of cultures. We moved from one town to another for over two hundred years.

But life wasn't all easy with Mae. She could be bossy, rude, and patronizing. Mae always got first pick of human, house, and bedroom. I always had to dig the shallow graves. Sometimes we didn't get along.

"You _always _leave me with the drunks. I hate the taste of alcohol in the blood, and when there is a choice between a handsome young man, and a boozed-up grandpa, you always stick me with the toothless quack. I'm tired of it!" I screamed at her. Two humans we sitting between us, hypnotized to the point of drooling on themselves. Mae had begun feeding from the young man, but I had been left with his gassy father.

Mae's face was drenched with blood and she was not happy. She did not like to stop feeding half way through. "Just drink from the human, his blood is perfectly good."

"All I taste is rum!"

"That is not my fault. Find some humans outside of the pub next time."

"There won't be a next time. I have had enough of it always being Mae's-Way-Or-The-Highway. I am leaving."

"Don't bother," Mae spat, dropping her human to the floor- dead, "I'm leaving. I've had enough of your whining. Come find me when you grow up."

"I am 200 years old!"

"Well, I'm 500, and I'm sick of you acting like a child. Goodbye, Juliana."

And then she was gone. She darted right out of the house, slamming the front door with an angry groan. We had had fights before, and I suspected we would both be fine after we had time to collect ourselves. I wasn't really mad at Mae, I was mad that every day for the past three weeks I had woken up with shivers. Mae said that was Godric's way of annoying me, and it was working. For the past few centuries he had done that to me sporadically, but now it felt like he was just trying to deprive me of sleep- which made me cranky. And that crankiness had undoubtedly been the cause of this new fight.

I sighed, disposed of the old man, and closed all the doors and windows to the house. It was just the beginning of the night, but I already felt tired. Sitting down on the bed, I massaged my temples, trying to distract myself from this latest argument.

_Thump. _I glanced around the room, looking for the origin of the noise. It seemed to have come from the roof. I figured Mae was sitting on the roof, having a tantrum. "I thought you were leaving, Mae!" I shouted. No response.

Groaning, I decided to see who was on the roof. I walked out of the bedroom, but when I reached the foyer, I noticed the front door was wide open. I specifically remembered shutting all the doors and windows. Someone was in the house. "Mae?"

I heard a mean growl from across the room. It took me only a moment to realize that there was a tall man with marble white skin and big blue eyes. He had long blonde hair, like a lion, but it was pulled back in a pony tail. He was wearing layers of furs, and armor. I had never seen anybody dressed quite like him before. He looked like a warrior.

"Who are you?" I asked, but he only sneered at me. In a moment he was in front of me, reaching for my throat. I dodged him easily, I was faster than him. Darting across the room, I thought about abandoning the house entirely. But after analyzing the intruding vampire, I realized that he was a new born. He couldn't be more than a half a century old. He looked about thirty in his human form.

The vampire snarled at me, and roared with anger. He was speaking some language I had never heard, and I assumed he was threatening me by the way he shook his fist. "Come on," I told him, "Try and kill me. I have all night."

He didn't seem to understand English, which is what I was speaking since we were currently on the London countryside. He ran over to me, and reached for me. I stumbled slightly to get out of his way, and he grabbed hold of my arm, squeezing it painfully. I punched him across the face, and he went down on one knee. Running across the room, I reached into a dresser where I knew Mae kept her weapons. A long, thin silver chain was stored next to a pair of white satin gloves. I fumbled slightly with the gloves and then grabbed the chain. Suddenly, the vampire was next to me, and he thrust me against the nearest wall. I kicked him hard in the stomach, denting his metal chest plate, but he didn't let me go. He hissed something at me which I couldn't understand, but then he said, "Godric."

I almost didn't understand him, because his accent was so thick, so I repeated to him, "Godric? Did Godric send you to kill me?"

His blue eyes were curious and deadly as they stared down at me. I didn't wait for him to answer, and kicked him again, sending him tumbling to the ground. I leapt on top of him, and pressed the silver to his neck. I roped the chain over his left wrist, neck, and right wrist. I moved back to the dresser and searched for another chain. Then I tore his pants around his ankles, and criss-crossed the silver over his bare legs, immobilizing him.

He lay on the wooden floor of the house, groaning in pain, while I sat with my back against a wall, panting from exertion.

A moment later, Mae darted to the door. "Don't get all excited, Juliana. I just came back for my indigo dress, you know, the one we stole from that Duchess? I know how you like that, and I don't want you to wear it while I'm upset-"

She paused when she saw the intruder paralyzed on the ground. "Well, I see you had an exciting time while I was gone. Why is it that the moment I leave, you get to have all the fun?"

"This was _not _fun," I stared up at Mae, who was crossing her arms. "Godric sent this man to kill me."

Mae stood over the blonde vampire. Although he was weak, he still managed to snarl up at her. "Who is he?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I cannot understand him. He's speaking a language I have never heard. Maybe you could ask him."

"Who are you?" She asked him loudly, as if he were partially deaf. The vampire struggled to spit at her, and then he began to mumble something that I was pretty sure was rude.

Mae turned to me. "Well, he's speaking Swedish, and he just said he wanted to do something very inappropriate to me. I think I'm going to stake him, is that all right with you?"

"No! Ask him about Godric."

Mae frowned. "I'm not very good at Swedish, Juliana. I haven't spoken it in centuries. I was only very briefly in Sweden and it wasn't a pleasant experience. My knowledge of the language is limited to what I learned in the pubs."

"Please," I begged, "At least try."

She sighed, but turned back to the vampire. I could see that she was struggling with the language, but at least the intruder was responding. Mae turned to me after several minutes. "Well, it is difficult to interpret, but he is what the west call a "Viking." He said he used to be some kind of prince there, I think. Either "prince" or "prize", those two words sound very similar. All though this cocky bastard probably thinks of himself as a prize."

"What is a Viking?"

"They are a very vicious, brutal group of warriors. I can see why Godric would go to them to create another progeny."

I sat up straighter and felt a chill run down my spine. "What?"

"Oh, I forgot to say that. This vampire was not just hired by Godric to kill you. This vampire is your brother… of sorts. Godric created him, just like he created you. His name is Eric."

I was stunned. It never occurred to me that Godric had created more vampires than just myself. And now there was Eric, another nasty vampire just like Godric. I felt my stomach go hard and I knew that I was feeling mixed emotions. Fear, from another person wanting to kill me. Anger, because Godric had destroyed another human life. But, surprisingly, pain, because Godric had replaced me so easily. I don't know why I felt that particular emotion- I was the one who left Godric after all.

"How old is he?" I asked.

Mae turned to him, and after a few words, said to me, "He is 35 human years, and claims to be 100 vampire years. I wouldn't believe that if I were you. There would be no way you could trap him if he were that old. I would guess that he is only about a decade in vampire years. Godric just created him."

My eyes flickered to Eric for a moment, and I caught him glaring at me. I quickly looked away and said to Mae, "We should probably leave. Godric will be coming for him, and we should not be here when he arrives."

"Should we kill the Viking?"

I thought about it for a moment, but decided against it. "I do not want Godric coming after me because of revenge. He already hates me enough as it is."

Mae shrugged and got to her feet. "Well, I'll gather my things. Congratulations on your baby brother," she laughed wickedly.

I sneered at her, and she walked away. Turning my attention to Eric, I noticed him looking towards the door. He was weak from the silver, but he still managed to whisper faintly, "Godric."

I could feel my heart stop in my chest as I looked to the door.


	7. Progenies

There was nothing special about my house. Furniture was sparse. Minimal electronics. No art. I had cans of food in the pantry that I would never eat but enjoyed to look at. An unopened pack of True Bloods sat on the counter next to the microwave.

I led Godric and Eric through the house to the bedrooms. I had three bedrooms, but only one coffin. I didn't know how Godric or Eric slept, but I preferred small, dark spaces. I hoped they would be comfortable as it was.

"You have a very nice house." Godric said, politely. It didn't take a genius to know that "nice" was a stretch. Eric snorted, and Godric cut his dark eyes to him as if to dare him to insult me again. Eric shrugged, and closed the door to his bedroom, dismissing himself for the day.

Godric leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Sleep well, Juliana." Then he retired too.

I closed the door to my coffin and was sure that I would _not _be sleeping well tonight. _What have I done? _I thought to myself anxiously, _They shouldn't be here. I'm practically a sitting duck. _

But I was having trouble believing that Godric and Eric were here to kill me. My mind was racing, but suddenly, I just passed out.

I woke up feeling like I had slept for a million perfect years. I couldn't remember the last time I had had such a great rest. Smiling, I opened the door to the coffin and headed out to see Godric and Eric.

Eric was leaning against the counter, an opened True Blood next to him. He stood up straight when I entered and attempted to smile at me. "Good evening."

"Good evening," I replied cordially. "I wasn't aware you drank True Blood's, Eric. I pegged you as more of a "straight from the source" type of man."

The vampires nodded, a smirk playing at his mouth. "I thought it would be rude to upset the tranquil balance of your neighborhood by drinking from one of the humans."

"How thoughtful of you."

Eric held out the bottle for me, offering me a drink, but I shook my head. "I'm not thirsty." I glanced around the room, and then my eyes fell back on my tall, blonde brother. "Where's Godric?"

"You miss him?" I narrowed my green eyes at him and Eric laughed. "I don't know. He's not in his room. But you wouldn't know anything about that, right?" Eric's eyes darkened, and instantly he was in front of me, glaring, "You didn't try anything sneaky while he slept, right? No glamoured humans busting in to stake him in the middle of the day?"

The accusation, plus the proximity of our bodies frustrated me, and I pushed Eric away. I didn't judge my strength properly, however, and he flew across the room and smashed into the cabinets. Wood, wallpaper, and parts of the wall crumbled over him.

Eric quickly stood up, but was covered in white debris from the wall. I couldn't help but laugh at him, it was too funny. My Viking baby brother: he should know better than to mess with me.

There was a click, and Eric's fangs popped out. Seconds later he had me pinned to a wall, but I was still laughing. The front door burst open, and Godric entered in a huff. With a flick of his wrist he had us separated, Godric was easily the strongest of all of us, and his eyes glanced over us and around the room. Finally, his dark gaze fell on Eric, and he raised an eye brow.

"What happened?"

"She started it."

***Centuries Ago***

The silhouette of a man, undoubtedly Godric, stood at the door. The Viking intruder was calling for him, but I could feel Godric's glare on me, even though I couldn't see his face.

My chest contracted, and in my mind I told myself to make a threat about killing the Viking to keep the furious Godric at bay, but my mouth refused to cooperate. My bravado had completely abandoned me, and I took a step back, preparing to run after Mae.

There was a rush of velocity, and I was thrust out of the room. In the same swift and silent motion, I felt someone pull me into my bedroom. I was thrown against the farthest wall, and for a moment I was paralyzed. I fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of me, and suddenly, I was flipped on my back.

Godric straddled me, the strength of his legs alone enough to keep me in place, and I saw a long wooden stake get retracted from his coat. My emerald eyes widened, knowing what was coming, and I quickly turned my head and covered my face. I don't know why, my instincts failed me. I knew Godric would stake me through the heart, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Frozen, I felt my heart skip a beat and my breath stop halfway up my throat. I knew he would stake me. I knew it, but…

It felt like an hour before I managed to obtain the courage to peek through my fingers at him. He seemed frozen in time, both hands clutching the stake in a tight, white-knuckles grip. The stake was poised for the kill, only a foot off my chest. I closed my eyes again, wondering why on earth I had even wanted to look in the first place. There was nothing quite as terrifying as watching someone preparing to kill you.

I felt Godric loosen up, and I forced myself to open my eyes again. He still looked like he was going to end my second life, but now he looked a little conflicted about it. I tried to remain as calm as possible, hoping that my fear wouldn't transfer to him and cause him to do something irrational- like kill me.

His black eyes locked with mine and I felt like it was my one moment to say something that would save myself. I opened my mouth to speak, but- nothing. I was at a loss for words. There was nothing helpful I could say to save myself. Closing my mouth and my eyes, I groaned softly.

Godric shifted above me, and I opened my eyes again to see what he was doing. I almost screamed in shock when I realized I could only see his dark eyes. His face was so close to mine, I couldn't remember ever being this close to Godric. I would have screamed, but suddenly his lips met mine in a rushed, slightly aggressive kiss. My mind was telling me to pull away, push him, squirm, _anything_, but my body had its own agenda. I felt myself growing comfortable- surprised and kind of excited by the boldness of the situation. He pulled away slowly, and stared me down, as if trying to read my mind to see what I really felt.

I felt my brows pinch together as I thought about what had just happened. Suddenly, my mind and body connected and my fist swung up from my side in an attempt to strike him across the face. Godric caught my hand easily, but instead of snapping my wrist like a twig, as I would have guessed, he just held it in the air. He interlocked his fingers with mine and I thought I saw a glimmer in his eyes that wasn't sparked by hatred.

I wondered about Godric- if he was really all aggressive brute or if there was possibly a softer side to him. In that moment, with our bodies touching and are fingers locked, I couldn't help but think that there was something inside of him that I didn't know, or understand. He seemed like an entirely different person from the vampire who was trying to stake me moments ago.

I felt his grip tighten involuntarily, and his head snapped to the door. Before I could even wonder what was happening, Godric had pulled me to my feet and had the wooden stake prodding my spinal cord painfully. My right arm was twisted behind my back so that Godric had complete control of me. He snarled into my ear, "Walk forward."

My mind was spinning from the emotional whiplash. One moment Godric was driving a stake through my heart, the next he was exploring my lips with his, and then he would revert back to trying to stake me again. It was confusing, frustrating, and to be honest, a little terrifying. How could you protect yourself from someone who was completely unpredictable?

Godric forced me to walk to the door and then back to the foyer. I looked to the ground and instantly realized the Viking was missing. But when I looked to the corner of the room, my eyes met Mae's.

"Goddamn," She hissed when she saw the stake Godric had pointing into my back.

"Release my progeny," Godric snarled at her.

"Release my friend," Mae retorted.

The Viking began to say something in Swedish, but it was clear his condition was rapidly deteriorating with the silver. Mae had him propped up in front of her, with the silver wrapped around his neck and chest. She held Eric like a shield to her, and Godric held me close to him. I couldn't imagine a stranger scenario.

Godric began to respond to Eric's words, but Mae cut him off. I felt Godric stiffen against me, he was evidently surprised that Mae spoke Swedish. Godric began to yell at her, and I could feel him shake in anger. Mae would scream back at him, pulling the silver tighter around Eric's neck after each remark.

Godric forced the stake into my back, and I couldn't squirm away. I screamed, and Mae's eyes narrowed at Godric. "Mae! Just do what he wants!" I screamed to her in English.

Mae's eyes flickered between the two of us, and I could tell she was scared. "Hush, Juliana! I know what I'm doing."

"You shouldn't listen to her, Juliana," Godric whispered to me, "She's lying through her teeth. You know I'll kill you if she doesn't free Eric. Explain to her," He pressed the stake farther into me, and I felt it tear into my skin, "Or I won't stop myself."

"Mae! Please, just let Eric go. They'll leave if you just remove the silver." I could barely stifle a scream as the stake entered my back a centimeter more. "Mae! He'll kill me! He wants to, just free the Viking!"

A red tear dripped down her face that she quickly whipped away, creating a red smear. "Fine! Fine! We will _both _release our captives. Alright?"

I hardly felt Godric nod, and then I was dropped to the floor. I heard Eric crash to the ground as well, and I locked eyes with him for a moment. There was a hatred for me that I couldn't understand behind his eyes. He didn't know me, but he hated me. I realized I probably hated him too.

Before I could think about Eric- or Godric, for that matter- any longer, Mae grabbed my arm and wrenched me off the floor. She pulled me into a bedroom and then forced me out the window as quickly as she could manage. I hadn't even completely registered my freedom when I realized I was running for my life. Mae was faster than me, and she was practically dragging me at a supernaturally high speed away from the house.

It was only after several hours that Mae stopped running. I halted beside her, breathing heavily from exertion and fear. "Are they following us?" I asked Mae.

She shook her head, clearly breathless as well. "They were never following us. But we needed to put some distance between us before the night is over."

I sat down on the earth and put my head between my knees. I was in shock. Tonight had been terrible, starting with a fight between Mae and I, and ending with one between Godric and is new progeny and Mae and I. Blood streamed down my face, and I couldn't stop it. Mae put her hand on my shoulder in as much of a comforting gesture as she could manage. "I don't think I can protect you, Juliana."

I stood up straight and craned my head to look at her. "What?"

Mae turned away from me and began to pace. She was obviously annoyed. "I- I thought that it would be easy. I thought that we could just travel together and avoid your maker in peace. He couldn't be that difficult, I thought. I believed that we would be stronger than him- together. But now… now I question my strength."

"What are you saying, Mae?"

Mae glanced down at me with a pitiful look that I had never seen on her before. She was always so strong and infallible. Mae was like an ice berg- strong and cold. She only showed you a portion of herself. I guess I was finally seeing the vulnerable side. "I think we need help."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What kind of help?"

Mae seemed torn, as though she really did not want to admit something. "I, well, I know this man. He's a very old, very strong, and very powerful vampire. He likes me, and I think he might be able to help us. If your maker has an ounce of sanity, he won't want to cross him. I think it would be best if we stayed with him for a while."

The dark haired woman was biting her bottom lip anxiously. "He sounds great, Mae. Why are you so worried?"

Her eyes cut to me and she sighed. "He'll expect a favor in return. But besides that, well, he can be a little insane."

"Insane?" This didn't sound like someone we should be around. Insane didn't quite describe Godric, but it was in the neighborhood. I was starting to feel like we were selling our souls to one devil in order to free ourselves from another.

Mae shook her head, as if ridding herself of insecurities, and stood up. "We will be fine. I lived with him when I was a new vampire. He takes good care of people he likes."

"What if he doesn't like me?" I asked worriedly. Mae smirked.

"What's not to like?"

She pulled me to my feet and handed me a handkerchief. I whipped the blood off my face and threw the cloth to the ground. "Where does this mysterious vampire live?"

Mae pointed south. It will take about a week to get there, his castle is in Spain."

"Castle?" I breathed, a little surprised.

Mae grinned at me. "He's actually a King. His name is Russell Edgington."


	8. The King

Godric shook his head at the two of us, and laughed softly under his breath. "You two haven't changed at all." He dropped his hands so that there was nothing holding Erich and I back from killing each other. Eric's blue eyes locked with my green ones, and we developed a silent understanding that we would try to murder each other another night.

Eric turned to Godric. "Where were you? I woke up early and you had vanished."

"I was just making some plans."

"Plans for what?"

"For Juliana." Instantly I was at full attention. I was surprised, but I wasn't the only one. Eric seemed equally as shocked and even a little concerned.

Crossing his arms, Eric asked, "Are these plans going to postpone our departing from Chicago?" Godric raised his eye brows, as if to question what Eric had to do that was more important than Godric's own plans. Eric continued, "I have business in Shreveport and Bon Temps that require my attention, not to mention a progeny of my own that I need to look after."

"Eric, if you must leave, then you can. I don't want to keep you from your responsibilities. But if it wouldn't kill you to suffer one more night in Chicago, then I would appreciate your company."

The Viking inhaled deeply and then shrugged. "I can't say it would kill me to spend another night here. Perhaps I can try and get a taste of the city night life." He smirked at me and then bowed slightly to Godric before darting out the door.

Once Eric was gone, I turned back to Godric with my arms crossed. "So, what is this plan you have for me?"

A crooked smile formed on Godric's face and he reached his arm around me so that his hand rested on my hip. Gently, he pushed me forward so that we began walking out of my house. "Well, I think the kids our age call it a "date"."

I cocked an eye brow and him and asked, "The kids who are over 1000 years old? I haven't met them yet."

Godric laughed and we began to walk through the neighborhood. The big city was a short run away, but at the pace we were walking it would take probably a half hour. I had no idea what was in store for me, especially because it had been a very, very, _very _long time since I had been on a date.

"It's been a while," I told Godric.

"Yes, it's been a while for me too."

"At least from what I've been told, the boys nowadays ask the girl if she wants to go on a date _before _the date actually starts."

"Oh. I suppose I forgot to ask you if you even wanted to go on a date with me." He paused for a moment, and I thought he was going to ask me then, but he just grinned and continued walking- somewhat pushing me along with him.

"I suppose you should be used to this," Godric said, "Considering the fact that I've never been very good at asking you before I do things."

And he was right; I should have been used to it. Godric may have changed significantly over the thousands of years he had been alive, but there were some things I knew would never change.

***Centuries Ago***

We stood at the edge of a large, still river. The water looked black and glassy without the moonlight to shine on it. Dark black clouds covered the sky, and only every few minutes did the sky light up with a crack of bright lightening. Across the river was an enormous castle, with high stone walls and tall towers that curved to sharp points. Large hills turned into mountains around the castle, hiding the palace from view of the outside world.

"It's like a tiny island… so isolated out there all by itself," I told Mae, who seemed distracted.

She nodded halfheartedly at my comment and glanced around. "They should be coming."

"Who?"

Mae bit her lip. "I didn't want to frighten you unnecessarily but-" I saw a small figure move across the outside walls of the fortress. Squinting up at it, I recognized the form almost instantly. A pair of bright, amber eyes shined back at me, and the wolf howled. "Russell employs werewolves," Mae admitted.

I turned to Mae with my mouth agape. "You cannot be serious. You know how I feel about them!"

The vampire reached out to me and touched my shoulder. "Don't worry. They are well fed."

I cut my eyes to her and watched as a small pack approached us from the north. They surrounded us, and I felt my spine straighten a little in discomfort from the situation. The wolves didn't appear hostile, but the fact they left no room for escape worried me. Mae and I followed our escorts around the still, silent moat to a bridge on the other side of the castle. The wolves stopped at the gate. The Alfa howled, and the gate opened. They didn't follow us inside the walls of the castle, but instead waited for us to enter before howling for the gate to close behind us.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned to Mae.

"See? That wasn't so bad," she smiled at me.

We headed to the giant red wood doors that opened to the actual building. Mae let herself in, and we were immediately greeted by a human dressed in all black. "Good evening, ladies," he said without smiling, "I am the King's assistant, Rafael. He will be with you shortly. If you are thirsty we can accommodate you." Mae and I both declined. "If you should desire anything else please tell me; I am at your service." He bowed and left the room.

It felt uncomfortable standing in the foyer of the castle, waiting for a King we were intruding on. I had a distinctly bad feeling in my gut, like my instincts were telling me to leave. I wanted to tell Mae how I was feeling but the foyer was bustling with activity. Werewolves traipsed up and down the hall, maids swept the floor and polished the wood, butlers carried goblets of blood on silver platters. One servant was particularly close to us, scrubbing a gigantic mirror. I only noticed him because of his close proximity and the fact that his feet with black from dried mud.

The servant was a human male, probably a few years older than what I appeared. He had thick, black, wavy hair and dark brown eyes. His skin was the color of hot chocolate and he seemed to be trying to look away from us.

"Do you want to feed on him?" Mae asked me in Arabian, a language we used frequently when trying to be discrete amongst humans.

I laughed and shook my head. "No, I was just curious about him."

"You like him."

I shrugged. Taking this opportunity to tell Mae about my discomfort, I began, "Mae, I don't know about-"

A booming voice interrupted me from the grand staircase across the room. "Mae?" The voice asked incredulously. "I haven't seen you since you were merely a child!"

Mae grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me to the man. He was dressed in clothes that I knew were much more expensive than I could imagine, with bright colors and fabrics tailored perfectly to fit. He had nearly a dozen rings on his fingers and a bright smile to match.

Mae curtseyed and the man grabbed her hands eagerly. "What a pleasant surprise!" His light brown eyes cut to me and he asked Mae, "And who is this beautiful creature?"

She nudged me forward and I followed Mae's steps with a curtsey. "This is Juliana, from Rome. I met her when she was a newborn. She was trying to kill me." They both laughed, "Ah, new vampires!"

I blushed and Mae turned to me and said, "This is Russell Edgington. He's the king of vampires in this area."

"It's nice to meet you, Your Majesty."

"Oh please, child!" He laughed, and grabbed my hands. "Your Majesty is so presumptuous. Please call me Russell."

I forced a tight smile and turned to Mae. Immediately she and the King began to talk about the last time they saw each other. Feigning interest, I would nod my head and laugh when they laughed. It wasn't that they bored me, it was more of the fact that this castle seemed… odd. It was busy with activity, ornate furnishings and bright fabrics, jewelry, and paint. Still, there was a malevolence about the place, a darkness, and I felt uncomfortable even when everything seemed safe.

The King had thin, light brown hair combed back to the nape of his neck. He had light green-grey eyes, not unlike mine. Russell wasn't particularly tall, but he was taller than both Mae and I. He was old; Mae said he was over 1300 years old, by far the oldest vampire I had ever even heard of, let alone met. I suspected he had been turned in his late forties, because he had some fine lines on his forehead and around his eyes. When Mae was around him, those lines made him seem fatherly and friendly. I imagined those lines could also make him look terribly mean under other circumstances.

We were all seated in an elaborately decorated room, with red walls and golden accents. A large portrait of the King scaled one of the walls. "So, what brings you two to my castle?" The King asked.

Mae pointed to me. "Poor Juliana here has a wicked maker who keeps trying to kill her."

"Oh, how dreadful! And you came here for protection?"

Mae nodded. "Normally, I would be able to handle this little joker, but as it turns out I think he's older than me by at least a few centuries. And even _that _wouldn't be an issue if he hadn't just created another progeny who is also out to kill us- and this progeny is a Viking."

"A Viking? Really?" The King seemed surprised and pointed to a glass cabinet across the room. "See that crown there? It belonged to a Viking chieftain off the cost of the North Sea. I was traveling through there not too long ago and just thought it would make an excellent totem in this room. You know, Vikings are strong, brutal warriors. I thought it might bring good fortune to me."

Mae smiled. "I hope it does."

"I'm hungry," The King announced. He looked towards the door where two guards stood and ordered them to bring us some humans.

"We aren't hungry, Russell." Mae told him but he shook his head.

"Nonsense, you are guests in my home and I will feed you." Three humans entered the room and Russell immediately began to feed off one of them. Mae started to drink as well, and when I just watched them, the King looked up at me with a quizzical look. "Do you not want that one? I can have a greater selection brought out for you if you prefer something a little less local."

Mae shot me an evil glare that seemed to say, "Don't mess this up." Reluctantly, I began to feed off my human as well.

When we were done, The King called Rafael back into the room and commanded him to take us to the available guest bedrooms. He told Mae that he would summon her later to talk again, and then excused himself from our presence. A few minutes later, Mae and I were standing in the hallway talking in Arabian again. "Mae, this place gives me a bad feeling."

"Don't be ridiculous, this is the safest place I've ever lived, and right now we need all the safety we can find." Mae glanced up and down the hallway. "Do you want to go exploring later? This castle is like a maze filled with interesting items."

I shook my head. "I think I'll just turn in for the night. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning."

Mae shrugged. "Suit yourself." She waved to me, and wandered down the hallway to go exploring alone.

My room was the size of the entire cottage that Mae and I had shared before our run-in with Godric and Eric. There was a gigantic bed and a chandelier that had nearly a million candles. A large tub sat in the corner along with a closet of dresses. The extravagancy of the room astounded me, but left a bad taste in my mouth. I retired to the bed and tried to think about something other than the King, this castle, werewolves, Vikings, or Godric.

The next morning I dressed myself in one of the gowns that were in the closet. It was a long, navy dress that was a size too big. Sighing, I decided to keep it anyways and turned to leave my room.

I paused before taking a step. A small, brown mouse was staring at me from the door, but when he realized I could see him, he scurried under the door jam and into the hallway.

I couldn't see the mouse in the hallway, but I wasn't really in the mood for searching for a rodent throughout the castle. Mae's bedroom was directly across from mine and I knocked on the door a few times before entering. It was empty. I figured Mae must be in one of the common rooms with the King, so I headed in that direction.

As I turned the corner, I almost walked directly into a servant. He gasped, dropping a silver tray on the ground with a loud clatter. I inhaled sharply, but that was the extent of my surprise. The servant began to stutter a breathless apology and bent over to pick up the tray. I helped him out and picked up a small envelope he had dropped. "Here you go," I extended the envelope out to him, but he just bowed to me and refused to take it.

"Actually, miss, that is for you."

I raised my eye brows, and for the first time looked at the face of the servant I had nearly trampled over. He was the same servant that I had seen when Mae and I first entered the castle. I noticed his feet weren't dirty tonight, but he did have beads of sweat dotting his forehead and hairline. I looked down at the letter and realized it had my name on it.

_Dear Juliana,_

_ Sorry I was unable to tell you in person, but I didn't want to wake you since you weren't feeling well last night. The King has requested I go on a short mission for him. When I first lived with him, I worked at the castle as a procurer. My job was to gather humans for work around the castle. This time, however, I'm in search of specific individuals with special abilities. Some of them live far away, so I might be gone for a little while. I won't be back until I have them all, but don't worry, I'll be back soon. Try to have a good time in the castle, I know you'll grow to like it there just like I did. _

_ Much love, Mae._

"She's gone?" I asked quietly. I wasn't really talking to anyone, but the servant felt a need to answer.

"Yes, she left early, before you awoke. She requested I give you this letter since she said you… like me."

My cheeks flushed and I smiled at him. "She's crazy, I'm sorry. Uh, thank you for the letter." I quickly shuffled around him, careful not to knock him over again. "Sorry I ran into you. I'll try to watch where I walk next time."

"It's fine, miss!" He called to me, but I had already hurried down the hall.

I struggled to find the King in the labyrinth of rooms, but finally I managed to catch him. I asked him about Mae and he told me exactly what Mae had stated in her letter. It felt like a wasted effort, because I had expected more information. I had never seen Mae write anything before, and for some reason the letter felt strange to me. It seemed like _anyone _could have written that letter. The only thing that made me certain Mae had at lest known about the letter was the fact she had given it to the servant we had seen together. But still, I didn't know what to think. All I knew was that now I was alone in the castle- waiting for Mae to return.

Mae had been gone for two weeks now, so I decided to find the King and ask if he had heard anything from her.

"No, my dear, I'm sorry." He said, while flipping through some books on his desk. "I'm afraid I haven't heard from Mae since she left."

I sighed and turned to leave. "Juliana," he called to me before I could exit, finally looking up at me, "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?"

I fleet my face contort into a forced smile. "Sure."

"Fantastic!"

A few hours later I met the King in his dinning hall and sat down at the end of a very long table. Other vampire flooded in from around the castle and filled the remaining seats. Russell finally entered and sat next to me. Gobles of blood were served and everyone began to talk amongst themselves. Two werewolves were sitting on the wall behind Russell, they traveled with him like body guards. I shuddered involuntarily and Russell noticed.

"My dear, are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine." I poked at my goblet and swirled the blood around to avoid looking at the wolves. They creeped me out. Russell looked over his shoulder and saw the wolves, and motioned for them to leave.

"Are you better now?" He asked when they had left.

I smiled. "Much. Thank you."

"You must have had a bad experience with werewolves. Confide in me." He leaned forward slightly, waiting for me to relay the story.

I shrugged into my chair and remembered Casius, and Lucius, and being held captive in a dungeon. I didn't want to tell the King any of my past, but it felt strange denying him. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"I am old. I can handle it."

"A werewolf named Cassius killed my sisters. I killed him and then his son came after me for revenge. His pack of wolves… fed off me. Then he locked me in a dungeon with the intention of keeping me as a refillable food source." I clenched my teeth at the memory and mumbled, "So, now I'm not too fond of werewolves."

Russell leaned back and crossed his arms. "How terrible," he hummed, his voice lacking a certain amount of sincerity that I would have expected. He raised an eye brow at me and asked, "And how did you escape?"

"They tried to feed me a human I knew. I helped him escape and he helped me."

"How… interesting. How long ago was this incident?"

"A few centuries. When Mae and I still lived in Rome."

"Hmm." Russell glanced around the room and then stood up. "You'll have to excuse me. I have some business to tend to. I'll tell my wolves to keep away from you."

In a flash he was gone. The other vampires at the table looked up, but then continued on with their meal. I paused for a moment, deciding what I wanted to do. I knew the King was up to something. There was something off about him, he was so suspicious.

In an instant I was in the hallway, trying to figure out which way the King had gone. I darted down several hallways, but finally got lost. An iron door was at the end of my current dark hallway, and since it was slightly open, I decided to go through it. A nearly vertical staircase led down the lightless, claustrophobic hallway. I didn't even have to get to the bottom to know what it reminded me of.

It was a dungeon, and although the stone wasn't the same as the one I had been held in, I knew the layout before I even saw it. I stopped just short of the floor, using the darkness of the staircase to hide me. Russell Edgington's voice boomed throughout the stone walls. He was furious, and every ounce of his hatred echoed throughout the dungeon.

"You have been lying to me! All of you!"

Wolves were whimpering audibly and I cringed at his tone.

"We- we don't know what you are talking about, Your Majesty. The vampire's down here don't escape."

"Sure, that's what you tell me you rotten, lying scum! I know there are vampires who have escaped. I let you feed off my prisoners, and I've even turned the other cheek when you collect your own newborn vampires. I will not, however, allow you to let these prisoners escape after what we've done. Do you know what the other vampire's will think? No, you don't, because you're all morons. Idiots with a useful ability and an addiction. I cannot believe I actually employ you fools. How many?"

"H-how many, what?"

"How many have escaped? You useless animal…"

"O-only a few since I've worked here. I heard about others though. Sometimes it just happens. I-" There was a sick ripping noise and I heard several of the wolves howl and the men gasp. I had heard enough, and took this opportunity to leave, and darted up the stairs. I wove down several hallways before getting lost again and I collapsed against a wall breathing heavily.

Vampires, just like me, were down there being attacked by werewolves. Getting fed off of like animals. I couldn't wrap my mind around the emotions. I started to sob into my hands and I put my head to my knees, hoping that shrinking might actually make me feel less emotion.

Suddenly, I felt the presence of another person. I glanced up, and saw a hand holding a white handkerchief down to me. The hand belonged to the servant that had delivered Mae's letter. I sniffled a little, and took the cloth from him, whipping my eyes.

"T-thank you."

He knelt down next to me and smiled. "It's my pleasure, Juliana."


	9. The Mouse I

**A/N: Okay, I've never been good at telling short stories, and I try to keep all my chapters around the same word count just to monitor myself. However, for whatever reason, I couldn't keep this chapter short. I decided it will be in two parts: The Mouse I, and The Mouse II. There won't be a present tense portion in The Mouse II, because it's a continuation of part one. Sorry if this is confusing. :P But the second half is amazing which is why I couldn't cut anything out. I'll post the second half tomorrow. Review/fav/alert/message, exc! I love the support!**

"Why are we here?" I asked Godric as we stood in front of a large storefront window that displayed skinny, white manikins in glowing, bright colored gowns.

"It's part of the date," Godric answered smoothly, and pulled me inside. He waved his hand around at the dresses and said, "Pick one."

I raised an eye brow and began walking through the racks of dresses. "What's wrong with the dress I'm wearing?" Godric looked down at my blue cotton dress and smiled.

"It doesn't do you justice."

"Hmm," I hummed, grinning, "So charming."

The vampire smirked in response. "I try."

I picked out a slim, pink, strapless dress and held it to myself.

"Stunning," Godric said with a grin and pushed me over to the dressing rooms. I changed into the dress and stood before Godric.

"You look beautiful."

I felt like I hadn't stopped smiling the entire date. I pointed to Godric and joked, "Now you're underdressed."

The sales lady overheard us and said, "We have a suits and tux section for boys, right over there." She gestured to the other side of the store. Godric told me to look for matching shoes and promised to be right back. The worker smiled pleasantly at me. "I have the perfect shoes for that dress." Leading me to the shoe section, she began to pull out boxes. I sat down and she stacked the boxes to the side. I was putting on some silver, strappy heels when the worker began to engage me in idle chitchat. "It's a little late to be shopping for prom, isn't it?"

I paused and repeated, "Prom?"

The woman clearly wasn't listening to me, because she spun around and said, "Wow, those are the prettiest shoes I've ever seen!"

I felt a pair of hands touch my hips and I jumped a little in surprise. Godric was standing behind me, with a black suit and a pink tie to match my dress. I laughed a little and the sales woman shrieked, "You two are the cutest couple I've ever seen!"

***Centuries Ago***

I sniffled into the handkerchief and then struggled to find the strength to stand up. The servant reached his hand out for support, but I didn't take it. Instead, I used the wall to prop myself up. "Who are you?" I asked with slight suspicion. No one at the castle had been particularly friendly. In fact, most of the other vampires were cold, snobbish individuals who basically ignored me. One of them called me a "sheep herder" with disdain. I had no idea how they could have known that about my past, but they avoided me like I was a leper.

But not this servant. He seemed to always be on hand, always just around the corner. I wondered if it was coincidence or something more.

"My name is Miguel," he introduced. The corner of my mouth tilted up in a weak smile.

"Thanks for the handkerchief, Miguel. That was… sweet."

He shrugged bashfully. "It's my job." I tuned to leave, but he stopped me with a light touch on the arm. "Juliana! Um, if you need anything, I'm at your service."

I grinned and nodded my head. Miguel seemed like a good person. Maybe I was just being paranoid. The werewolves, and the King, and the dungeon all seemed like good reasons to be paranoid.

I found my room and busied myself with a bath. I thought the warm water and scented oil might relax me enough to think about something other than my being held captive, but I had no such luck. My mind was trying to form similarities, trying to confirm the fact that the King had been involved with my torture. In the end, there was no conclusive evidence. To my knowledge, the King wasn't residing in Rome when I was attacked. Although he employed wolves who kidnapped or took advantage of vampires who were already imprisoned by feeding off of them, I didn't know if the two incidents were connected. The only facts I knew for certain was that Godric had invited the werewolves to attack me, and that one of them was related to Cassius. None of the wolves had mentioned Russell, and I had not been contained in a palace of any kind.

Still, I had a bad feeling about this place. Russell had seemed very suspicious when I told him of my imprisonment. I suspected he wasn't directly involved with my capture, but perhaps he knew the wolves who had entrapped me.

I resolved to avoid the King until Mae returned. I figured she would be back soon, since it had already been two weeks. I was _so_ wrong.

I stayed in my room well into the night to avoid running into the King or one of his wolves. Eventually, I heard a soft knock on the door. I didn't call out, but the door creaked open an inch, and I recognized Miguel's tan face.

"What are you doing?" I asked groggily, still covered in a mountain of blankets and pillows in a bed that was three times the size that I needed.

"I'm sorry, but I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Do you need some blood?"

"Are you offering?" I asked jokingly, but I saw Miguel's face pale for a second and I quickly said, "I'm not hungry, thanks." He smiled slightly and started to close the door. "Wait!" I called out quickly to stop him. Miguel opened the door again and looked at me. "Why are you so nice to me?"

His grin faded a little but he answered anyways. "You're not like the other vampires here." When I didn't respond, Miguel left.

It was true to some extent that I wasn't like the other vampire's here. Most of them worked for Russell, and were utterly obedient to his every whim. Some of them were aristocrats who ignored everyone besides the few people they chose to associate with. I didn't feed as much as the other vampires. I didn't share the same values as them. I didn't fit in. But the most difficult difference between me and the other vampires was that I was alone.

Another month passed without any word from Mae. I was starting to fear the worst. Breaking my own rule, I searched for the King to ask him about my missing friend.

"I'm sorry, Juliana, but she is still working."

"It's been almost two months! Are you sure she's alright?"

The King shrugged, as if Mae's health was a small price to pay. "I don't know about her wellbeing, but I would assume she's just fine."

I crossed my arms. "What _exactly _is this mission you sent her on?"

The King snorted and turned away from me. "That is of no concern to you."

I smashed my hands down on the desk separating us. "Mae _is_ of concern to me. Now tell me what you know."

Russell's light eyes seemed shallow and heartless. He stood up slowly, straightening his coat, and leaned forward so that his face was close to mine. "I don't have to tell you anything," he said slowly, and with a deadly tone.

"Then you leave me no choice but to find out for myself."

"Do all the research you want," the King challenged his voice growing louder with every word, and wavering slightly with anger, "but I'm sure you've created your own false fantasies about the _mean_ King Russell Edgington, the _cruel_ King, the _crazy_ King. I did not put your friend into a position she couldn't handle, child. In fact, I very much enjoy sweet Mae's company. Much more than you, by the way."

I raised an eye brow. "Is that so? Well then, perhaps I'll just find my own residence."

The King's eyes widened slightly and he leaned back. He paused for a moment before laughing. "Child, child, don't be irrational. Look, I apologize." He was faster than me by leaps and bounds, and suddenly he was in front of me when I hadn't even seen him move. Russell clasped my hands together with his, in a gesture that I'm sure was supposed to be friendly and respectful but just made me more skeptical about his motives. "Please, forgive me."

I clenched my teeth for a moment out of regret for what I was about to say. "Of course I forgive you. I'm probably acting a little… unreasonable; but it's only because I'm worried about my friend."

"Why, don't be, Juliana. Mae is a strong woman. She can handle this little assignment."

I forced back a frown and produced a grimace that was supposed to be a smile. I would feel much better when Mae returned. Russell assured me that would be soon, so I quickly left his company and searched around the castle for Miguel.

The servant and I were becoming fast friends. Miguel and I conversed on a daily basis but I was still uncomfortable with telling him about my past. He knew that I was running from my maker, and that I had come here with my best friend who was now missing, but that was about it. I didn't really know much about Miguel either. He was a lot more confident and friendly than the other servants who hopelessly lurked around the castle. But one thing we both had in common was that we didn't like werewolves.

Wolves that I saw in the hallways remembered the Kings orders and always turned away from me. They never snarled or barked in my presence. If I walked into a room with them, they would always leave. The only time the wolves refused to budge was by the front door. It was the only exit to the main building, and I suspected they were only there for the security of the castle. I avoided the front door as much as possible, and so my contact with the werewolves was limited. It made living in the castle one ounce more bearable, but not by much. Werewolf stench was prevalent across the castle- even the servants smelled like wolves.

"It's because we sleep on the wolves old clothes," Miguel told me when I asked him why he smelled like werewolf. "We are lower than wolves in the King's eyes, so we get their leftovers."

I couldn't find Miguel in any of the main rooms of the castle. I checked the dinning hall, kitchen, library, the main hallways, and even the servant's quarters. I asked some of his fellow servants and none of them knew where he was either. Discouraged, I returned to my room.

My room was at the end of a long hallway. I was nearly at the door when I saw a small rodent exiting from the door jam of my room. I recognized the mouse, and it seemed to recognize me. It froze, only his nose twitching, and then tried to scurry away. Of course, his tiny feet were no match for my abnormal speed, and I scooped him up in my hands before he had a chance to escape.

The mouse squealed in my hands and tried to escape, wildly flailing beneath my fingers. I held him to my face and realized there was something peculiar about him. He smelled… like a servant. I spun around to make sure nobody was watching me. "Miguel?" I whispered to the mouse, who seemed like he would stop at nothing to escape my clutches.

For a moment I thought I might be going crazy with loneliness to be communicating with a mouse. I decided that it would be better to store the mouse somewhere in my room than to talk with it in the hallway. There was a vase on the dresser in my room, and I dumped out the flowers in the bathtub and dropped the mouse at the bottom of the glass container.

He stood on his back legs and scrapped at the glass, but it was to no avail. I watched him and he watched me with an intelligence I had yet to have witnessed in an animal before. When the mouse finally settled down, I told him that I would let him go tomorrow night. The mouse just stared back at me with big, brown eyes.

I know it sounds crazy, but that mouse was trying to trick me. He didn't blink when he watched me. When I would turn away for just a moment, I would catch him trying to leap out of the glass. It got to the point where I had to cut a piece of cloth and place it over the lid to keep him contained. Don't ask why I was so content on capturing this mouse, because I don't know. I suppose it comes down to boredom, and the fact that I couldn't find my only friend in the castle. But part of it was that that mouse was weird. He was a mouse with the mind of a man.

After several hours, I began to get tired. I said good night to the mouse and crawled into bed. The mouse was still staring at me with wide eyes, trying hard not to blink. But I knew he had to be getting tired too, and I suspected there wouldn't be any successful escape attempts tonight.

I had been asleep for quite a few hours when I heard the sharp sound of glass shattering. I jumped out of bed and couldn't see the mouse anywhere. But I did see Miguel. Naked. Asleep on the ground with the broken glass of the vase.

"Miguel?" I shrieked and whispered at the same time. He didn't stir. I poked him in the shoulder with my foot and he began to wake up.

"What?" He mumbled with a yawn, and then after a moment leapt to his feet and jumped behind my bed. "Oh no! Damn!"

"Miguel…" I asked timidly, "Are you some kind of were-mouse?"

The servant groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "No, no. I'm- I'm a shape-shifter."

My jaw went slack and I wondered why I had never heard of shape-shifters before. Mae had never mentioned them, and as far as I knew I had never met one… until now.

Miguel looked at me worriedly and asked, "You're not going to, you know, tell anyone, right?"

I was shocked. "You haven't told anyone?"

He looked scared. "No! What do you think the King would do if he knew about this? He would kill me for lying to him for so long. The King loves rare things, especially rare people. What do you think would happen if anyone at this castle knew about me? Secrets don't last for very long here."

"Well, if you're a shape-shifter, and you can turn into a mouse, then why are you here? Couldn't you run away pretty easily?"

"Yes," Miguel said slowly, as if this wasn't the first time this had crossed his mind, "But if I ran away, I would be putting my loved ones in danger."

A pang erupted in my heart. I tried to stifle it, but jealousy is hard to put out. "What loved ones?" I asked, a little more curtly than I had anticipated.

"My sister. She's a shifter like me, and we've been living on the streets since we were quite small." He lowered his voice significantly, "Sometimes I sneak out of the castle disguised as a wolf to visit her."

The jealous edge was gone and now I just felt pity for him. "Sorry I kept you in vase, Miguel."

He threw me a crooked smile. "Don't worry about it. But I need to go, the wolves will notice that I'm missing when they patrol the servants quarters during the day." Miguel fell to the ground and I saw a brown mouse scurry past my feet and out the door.


	10. The Mouse II

**A/N: Okay, so as promised, here is the second part which I loved writing. So much happens! Ahh! There is no present-times-portion-thingy in this part. Anyways, sorry this chapter had to be broken up into two parts, but enjoy! Review/fav/alert/message! XOXO to my lovely readers.**

***Still centuries ago***

After I discovered Miguel's secret, our friendship grew stronger. Sometimes I wondered how far it would go. There were times when Miguel made me laugh so hard I wanted to cry. I thought that would be the perfect way to spend the rest of my life, laughing with my friend. But there were some fatal flaws in our relationship, things that couldn't be ignored.

Miguel was a servant. Most of the time he was working, and when I saw him with other servants, wolves, or vampires present, we had to act completely indifferent to each other. I watched while other vampires rudely commanded him to fetch things or people, and threaten to kill him when he wasn't efficient enough.

Another problem was age. Not my age, which was several lifetimes older than Miguel's, but the fact that Miguel was aging when I wasn't. I watched as he slowly grew taller and taller. His shoulder's became wider, his arms stronger. I felt ugly for being incapable of changing. And although Miguel assured me it was fine that I didn't age, it didn't help the fantasy in my head of us being young friends forever.

The last problem was probably the most horrible of them all. I discovered it in the most humiliating of ways. The night started off normal, and then one thing led to another, and Miguel and I kissed. All the emotion and energy and passion I had been feeling over the course of many months flowed through me like a tidal wave. I couldn't stop myself. Suddenly, my fangs _click_ed and the moment was over. "Were you going to…?" Miguel asked wearily.

"N-no," I stuttered, and stepped away from him, my hand covering my mouth pathetically, "It just happened, I don't know."

Two years passed since Mae left and each day I wondered about her. I feared the worst. Miguel seemed inclined to agree. "It's probably not good that she isn't back by now," Miguel told me. "Other people that the King hired before Mae have already returned."

I sighed, and asked Miguel if he wanted to play chess with me later that night. He declined. "I was going to see my sister tonight." He told me and stood to leave my room. I waved him off, a little disappointed, but nothing I couldn't survive.

It was almost dawn when I heard intense yelling from the foyer. At first, I considered not going to see what the ruckus was about. But the level of anger was unparalleled, and I knew the voice belonged to the King. Curious, I left to find the source of the fight.

"This little rat has been lying to us this entire time!" Russell shouted. The room vibrated with a buzz from all the people watching. I entered towards the back of the crowd, but the second I realized what was happening, I pushed my way to the front.

A mouse squealed in his grasp, squeaking in pain from the pressure. I'm sure Russell was hardly closing his fist, and if he really wanted to, Miguel could have been squeezed to jelly. But even the smallest amount of pressure from a 1500 year old vampire would be unbearable.

"Stop!" I cried out, "You are killing him!" I could feel the smallest hint of blood beginning to well in my eyes as tears. "Please! Let him go!" I stepped forward, and two guards grabbed a hold of my arms. I thrashed in their grasp, and the wolf-men were barely able to contain me.

Russell didn't even look at me. "Reveal yourself, slave!" He cried, and threw the rat to the ground. Instantly upon impact, the rat turned into a man. He was naked, just like a werewolf after transformation, but everyone knew he wasn't one. He was the servant they all commanded around on a nightly basis: Miguel.

"So," Russell crooned, "You've been a shape-shifter this entire time? Why didn't you tell us? I would have promoted you from servant."

"Y-you would have pr-promoted me to p-prisoner." Miguel's whimpered through gritted teeth. His breathing was labored from the multitude of cracked ribs I was sure he was now suffering from.

"You've been impersonating my wolves, leaving the sanctity of this castle, perhaps more?" Russell was shaking his head as he spoke, clearly with great distaste. He narrowed his eyes down at Miguel and snarled, "You deserve to die."

"No!" I shouted, and threw myself out of the guards grasp. "Please, it would be a great loss to me if you killed him."

Russell finally acknowledged me now that I was standing next to Miguel. He raised his eyebrows, as if shocked I would want anything to do with him. "What is your interest in this shifter?"

Miguel was staring up at me, and he barely managed to mumble, "N-no, Juliana, d-don't."

I tried to ignore how pitiful he sounded and focused on appeasing Russell. "This shifter has been very kind to me while I have resided in your castle. He… he means a lot to me. As a friend."

Russell clapped his hands together and laughed. "As a friend? Please, child, even an old soul like me can see where this is going. If you feel for him the way you do, why didn't you ever drink from him?"

I bit my lip. "I do not harm my friends."

"Friends, friends," The vampire King muttered, growing annoyed. "I can hear you, darling, but I simply don't believe you. And this animal is a traitor to me, and to you, for that matter. Assuming you had no idea of his double nature, hmm?"

I glanced down at Miguel who groaned softly. "No," I said slowly, "He never told me."

Miguel's eyes shut tighter and I couldn't help but feel nervous now. Not only was I putting myself on the line by even defying the King, but now I had lied. If I didn't watch myself, I would be next in line for execution after Miguel.

The King's eyes evaluated me slowly. He hummed to himself, and walked in a circle around us. "Give him your blood," he commanded.

I was shocked. "What?"

"Do not defy me!" Russell yelled, and I jumped a little in my skin.

I looked down at Miguel who was staring back up at me fearfully. "Juliana," he whimpered. I knew he was dying.

"I-I do not know how," I confessed. "I have never willing given someone my blood before."

Russell's personality seemingly flipped again, because he suddenly calmed down and put his hand on my shoulder. "My dear girl, you really don't know anything about turning someone?"

I felt my heart skip a beat. "Turning?"

"Why, of course. If you want this little shifter to live, then that's the way it must be."

"But, can I not just give him my blood and he'll heal himself?"

He vampire pressed down on my shoulder so forcefully I fell to my knees. He knelt down next to me and took my arm. Biting into my forearm, he roughly tore my flesh and held the wound over Miguel's face. I inhaled sharply at the pain, but didn't try to pull away because I knew the King would never let me go.

The blood fell on Miguel's cheek and rolled to his lips. With Russell's other hand, he forced Miguel's mouth open and several drops of blood were swallowed.

"There's no time tonight for a proper burial," the King declared, standing up and pulling me up with him. "So, we will all congregate back here tomorrow night at midnight, for drama's sake." He turned to three of the guards and demanded, "Take Juliana and her shifter back to her room. Make sure neither of them gets cold feet."

He dipped his head at me as he excused himself, and then stalked off to another portion of the castle. A pair of strong hands grasped my shoulders and began to direct me up the stairs. I saw one of the guards scoop up Miguel and carry him behind us. In moments we were in my bedroom, Miguel was dumped on the floor, and the doors were slammed shut.

I groaned, and collapsed on my bed with my face in my hands. This was not what I had intended when I had decided to speak up and save Miguel. I didn't want to turn him, I doubted he wanted to be turned either. After my experience with Godric, there wasn't an ounce of me that wanted to become a maker myself. I lifted my head up to glance over at Miguel. "I am so sorry," I whispered, "I had no idea this would happen."

Miguel began to sit up right, I could tell my blood was already beginning to heal him and make him stronger. He shook his head and said, "Juliana, thank you."

I frowned and shook my head back at him. "Why? I've made a mess of everything."

He laughed half-heartedly and shrugged. "Well, if I had to choose, I'd rather be killed by you then by the King."

"But, I'm not going to kill you. Russell is going to make sure I burry you, and then you will return a vampire." I paused for a moment and wondered aloud, "Can shifter's even become vampires?"

Miguel lifted his palms up. "I have no idea. I've never heard of a shifter-vampire before. Perhaps it won't work. Maybe when you kill me, I'll never wake up."

I fought back tears because I knew they would frighten Miguel. "I don't want to kill you."

He smiled at me. "I know."

I didn't sleep well during the day, and when night finally fell, I was still exhausted. I got out of bed and saw Miguel had deep, dark circles under his eyes. "You didn't sleep either?" He asked me and I shook my head. "Were you cold?"

I frowned and asked, "Why would you say that?"

"Because I saw you shivering all last night. Every time I though you were asleep you would start to shake like you were cold. You were under all the sheets and pillows though, so it was hard to tell how you could possibly be cold."

My mind instantly ran to Godric, but I tried my best to push any thoughts of him out of my head. I refused to think about my mischievous, maleficent maker at a time like this. _Of all the nights for him to be pestering me about my location… _I thought to myself.

"We should try to escape." I said, breaking the ice. Miguel looked up at me with wide eyes.

"The second we open that door, the guards will kill both of us for even attempting to escape."

"You can transform into a mouse and scurry away. I can run really fast. I'm sure at least one of us will make it out alive."

Miguel looked sadly at me. "I don't think it's worth the risk. Look, Juliana. I'm the one who has been lying. I'm the one who has made the mistakes. I don't want to take you down with me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I can make my own decisions. I am _not _going to turn you if I can help it. I am not ready to be a maker… I don't think I ever will be. I won't let Russell force me to do something I'm not willing to do."

Miguel and I were both standing when we heard some grunting on the other side of the door. "I think the guards are in a fight." Miguel told me in a whisper.

"They are distracted. We should escape now, if ever."

Miguel nodded at me, and we moved to the door. I counted to three with my fingers, and on the third, I swung open the doors only to be stopped dead in my path.

Standing directly before me, surrounded by the blood and guts of the guards, was Godric. His small dark frame was red with blood and he quickly stepped into the room with us and shut the door. Miguel was blank faced with terror, and I couldn't imagine myself looking much different.

"Godric?" I asked aloud, just to make sure it was really him.

He flicked a piece of a man's kidney of his shoulder and nodded at me. "Juliana."

My mouth was hanging open like a fish out of water. "What are you doing here?" I glanced over to Miguel and saw that he was backing up. Godric was pretty horrifying- and that was without the blood and guts. "Are you here to kill me, because now is really not the best time."

Scoffing, Godric crossed his arms. "Is there ever a good time to let me kill you? Seriously, Juliana? Sometimes I question your intelligence."

Now it was my turn to cross my arms. "My intelligence is fine, thank you very much. In fact, I was just developing a brilliant escape plan with Miguel."

Godric's black eyes narrowed in on Miguel. He seemed to hate him just by looking at him. The vampire sniffed the air. "Why does he smell like a dirty animal?"

"Hey," Miguel groaned, insulted, "That's not fair. They don't have clean water in the slave's quarters."

"He's a shifter, Godric. He can turn into any animal he wants."

Godric turned back to me. "I know what a shifter is. I've killed several of them."

Miguel threw his hands up in surrender. "That won't be necessary here."

"Indeed," I agreed and stood between the two of them. "I'm supposed to turn him."

"Ha!" Godric let out a hallow laugh. "I can't imagine you being the parental type. You were a terrible progeny… As a maker you are bound to be disastrous."

"The vote of confidence is great, Godric." I sighed, and took a step back to grab Miguel's hand. "Thanks for killing the guards, though. But we need to continue with our escape now."

I pulled Miguel into the hallway and past the intestines of the guards. Godric was close at my heels. "Why on earth are you here, Godric?" I asked when he refused to leave.

"To save you, of course."

I stopped instantly and turned to him. "That's a lie; I know it is. Do you take me for some kind of fool?"

"Well, yes."

I took a step away from him and held out my hand to stop him from continuing. "I am _not_ a fool."

"It certainly wasn't intelligent to live here for so long, now was it?"

I felt myself turning into Mae. "This castle is perfectly safe," I recited.

Godric groaned in exasperation. "It's run by a lunatic who's obsessed with power!"

"But I'm still alive!"

"You live every day in fear!"

I put my hands on my hips. "That is not true."

Godric was staring me down, infuriated and not hiding it well. "Do not treat me like an idiot, Juliana. You may have refused to be my bride, but you are still my progeny. Every night I can feel your fear, your sadness, your… lust," he cut a cold stare to Miguel and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. Godric continued, "To tell you the truth, it's obnoxious. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why you still live here when you feel that way." His eyes darkened even more and he whispered, "It's the wolves, isn't it? You hate werewolves; you're terrified of them. But you just can't kill these ones, can you?"

"Juliana," Miguel whispered, pulling on my hand.

"Hush. Not now Miguel." I kept my eyes on Godric. "You don't know the first thing about what I feel."

"I know _everything_. You can't leave because of Mae, right?" I felt myself force a sob to stay in my throat. "How long has it been now, two years?"

The tears pooling in my eyes refused to stay put. I quickly whipped one bloody streak off my cheek and hissed, "Stop talking to me."

"She is dead, Juliana. The King killed her. He's insane, and Mae wouldn't play his games, so he killed her. The only reason you're still alive is because you are practically his little puppet. It is nauseating how naïve you are."

"Shut up!" I cried, and pushed him away from me. Godric wasn't expecting the blow and he flew clear down the hall.

"Juliana!" Miguel shouted and pointed ahead. I turned my back on Godric, and saw that four wolves were darting towards us, barking and snarling with their teeth bared. I told myself to run towards them and snap their necks, but I couldn't move. My fear never ceased to get the better of me when it came to wolves. I was always at its mercy.

Godric ran up from behind us and disposed of each of the wolves in a matter of seconds. He approached me again with his hand outstretched, welcoming. "Let me help you, Juliana."

I turned to Miguel for guidance, and he nodded his head. Wearily, I took Godric's hand and we followed him around the castle. We dodged everyone: vampires, werewolves, and even servants. I knew all of them would turn us over to the King if we were seen. Eventually, we stopped in an open room, with walls that seemingly stretched for miles up to the ceiling.

"Why are we here?" I asked Godric.

"This is how I entered the castle." He pointed up to the ceiling. "We climb." He turned to Miguel and said with disregard, "You can turn into a bird or something."

Both Miguel and I turned our heads up to the ceiling and looked around for our escape. It was a tiny window where the ceiling and the wall met that was used for ventilation in the summer months. Miguel shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side. Grab my clothes, will you?"

He jumped up, and while in the air his clothes tumbled to the ground. He changed into a small, black bat. The transformation must have been difficult, because his flight was quite erratic. Miguel flew in a spiral up, tilting from side to side and sometimes appearing as if he were going to tumble back down to earth. Finally, he made it to the window and sat on the sill, waiting for us.

I scooped up Miguel's clothes and headed to the wall. Godric followed me and motioned for me to go first. I dug my nails into the wall and heaved myself up. The effort was tiresome, but eventually I made it to the window and pulled myself through it. Godric came in moments after me.

Once we were all on the roof, it only took us a few seconds to get back down. Godric and I jumped clear across the moat, and Miguel fluttered wildly to us. We hurried into the forest, trying to put as much distance between the castle and us as possible. When we were several miles away, I set Miguel's clothes down and he transformed back into his human form.

"Are you going to see you're sister now?" I asked.

"Yes, we need to start running as soon as possible. I don't want to be anywhere near this castle and I don't want her to be either." Miguel looked at me carefully, and then glanced over to Godric. In a low voice he asked, "Are you going to be okay, you know, with _him_?"

Godric growled warningly and I turned around to shoot him a deadly look. "I'll be fine," I told Miguel, "I hope I get to see you again."

"Me too." He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

Godric's growl intensified and he barked, "Alright, enough."

Miguel frowned and backed away. He waved goodbye before darting off in the direction of his home.

Once Miguel was gone, I turned back to Godric and realized what an awkward position I was now in. "Uh, thank you, Godric."

He didn't smile, he just stared back at me with an very characteristically unreadable expression. "What are you going to do now?" he asked me.

I shrugged and looked around the forest as if to find some obvious answer to that question. I had been thinking about that question myself as we were running, and without Mae to decide where to lead us, I had no idea where to go.

"I guess I'll just head to the nearest town and look for Mae." I resolved. Immediately, Godric looked annoyed.

"She is dead, Juliana. What about that concept is so difficult for you to comprehend? How long as she been gone?"

"Two years."

"Do you really think she would have left you alone for two years? Are you really this stupid?"

I cringed. "Well, what would you suggest if you are so wise?"

The vampire softened a little and took a step closer to me. "Come live with me. You haven't yet learned to be completely self-sufficient and I can teach you how. You can leave whenever you feel competent; I have no hold over you now."

"I am an independent vampire, Godric. I don't need you to protect me."

"I am well aware of that. Perhaps, you could just spend the day. Unless, of course, you feel inclined to stay longer."

"I can find my own place to stay."

Godric nodded solemnly, but I saw a smirk start to play at his lips. "I suppose learning how to fly wouldn't interest you then."

I already had another rejection lined up in my mind, but when he said that, I couldn't help but bite my pride. I wanted to learn how to fly. Mae knew how to fly, and she said she would teach me when I was older. She never indicated how old, and I never asked. But now that Mae was gone, Godric could potentially be one of the only people who could teach me.

"…Perhaps just one day."

Godric's smirk widened into a smile and he gestured deeper into the forest. "Follow me."


	11. Excuses

**AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing! My life is getting a little bit too busy now, but I'll try to keep the updates going to strong. One more chapter until Godric and Juliana go to Prom!**

"Godric…" I asked slowly. He looked at me with a smile.  
"Yes?"

"You know we can't eat, right?"

"Yes."

I glanced back at the menu in front of me. It had been centuries since my last meal. I couldn't even remember what I had eaten last. I suspected lamb, but it could have been anything.

True Blood wasn't on the menu. I figured a classy restaurant like the one we were at now would cater to all types of people, but I was wrong. Setting the menu back down, I looked at Godric. "This really isn't necessary. I honestly don't understand the point of this. I can't physically digest any of this. Neither can you. And a salad alone is 25 dollars here. That's insane."

"It is a bit pricey," Godric admitted.

"So then what are we doing here?"

Godric sighed and glanced around at the other couples eating dinner. "I know it seems out of place to be here, but its part of the experience. Usually high school seniors get dressed up, get a limo, go to a fancy restaurant, and then go to the prom. It's a right of passage."

I had heard of "prom's" for less than a century. I can't say I totally understood the concept. I had definitely never been to one, but then again, I had never gone to high school in the first place. This was all new for me.

A waiter came over and introduced himself. Godric ordered us both steaks. The waiter took our menus and left.

"Why are you doing this, Godric?" I asked.

The vampire frowned a little. "Aren't you having fun? Prom is supposed to be one of the best days of a person's life. Teenage girls compare it to their wedding day."

"I know, I know. But I'm wondering why _you _want to do this."

Godric reached for his glass of water and began to turn it in his hand. He was trying to distract himself from my questions, but he still answered, "I've taken so many experiences from you, I just wanted to give you this one."

"You don't owe me this."

"I _want_ to give you this."

I thought that was very sweet, and very unlike Godric. The vampire I had known for hundreds of years was nothing like the vampire sitting across from me now. I can't say I disliked the change. In fact, I was pretty sure I loved it.

***Centuries Ago***

I followed Godric for only a few minutes before he stopped suddenly in the center of a large field. The scent of blood was prevalent from miles away- I could smell at least a dozen corpses. Eric lifted his head up from the neck of a naked man, undoubtedly the human form of a werewolf, and with a blood-soaked face glanced between Godric and I.

Godric and Eric exchanged a few, quick words in incomprehensible Swedish. Eric seemed to be getting heated, and he stepped towards me threateningly. His fangs were already out, and he hunched slightly, as if he were going to leap on me. My fangs instinctually clicked into action, but Godric separated us before anything physical could develop. He pushed Eric away from me with one hand, keeping his other firmly set on my shoulder. Eric teetered off balance, hissed something to Godric, and then stormed off into the forest.

With a soft sigh, Godric turned to me. "I'm glad you're here."

"At least someone is."

Godric tilted his head in the direction Eric had darted off to. "Our nest is this way," he told me. We ran in that direction until we approached a small house. Godric led me to a free room and that was the last I saw of either of the vampires that night.

I didn't sleep well, mostly because I was afraid Eric or Godric would come into the room and try to kill of me while I slept. The next night I saw I had dried blood coming out of my ears and nose. Mae had told me this was called "the bleeds." I knew it happened when a vampire didn't get a proper rest, but I figured a bloody face was a small price to pay for surviving the night. I washed my face and headed to the main room.

The two vampires were whispering to each other in Swedish. They stopped instantly when I entered the room and just stared at me. It was beyond awkward, so I just gestured towards the door to signal my exit.

I had my hand on the knob when Godric darted over to me. "Where are you going?" He asked, placing his hand on top of mine in an effort to stop my exit.

"I'm going out to hunt," I replied cautiously. Godric was acting a lot like what I had feared. When I had agreed to stay with him, I had hoped to quickly learn how to fly and then leave. I definitely did not want to live under the rule of an overprotective maker.

"We will go with you," Godric said, and turned to Eric. He mumbled something to him that, as usual, I could not understand. Eric rolled his eyes, but started to walk towards us.

I pushed Godric lightly with the tips of my fingers. "I thought you said that I could leave whenever I wanted."

"You're leaving now?" His grip on my hand intensified slightly and I fought back a wince.

"I simply am questioning why you feel a need to watch me while I hunt. I am more than capable of feeding alone."

"Eric and I have needs that need to be fulfilled as well. We shall all go together."

And that was that. There was no arguing with Godric.

The three of us ran to the city and picked out our humans. Eric and Godric nearly drained theirs dry, but I was still in a habit of only feeding a little from a human and then releasing them.

Eric and Godric were hiding the corpses of their most recent meals while I was glamouring mine. When they returned, Godric looked at me skeptically. "You don't kill them?" He asked with an edge to his voice that I couldn't identify.

"I try not to."

The two vampires began to converse rapidly in Swedish again and I rolled my eyes. "Someone is going to have to teach me Swedish, because this is getting really old."

I released my human when I was finished, and after a few more minutes of me standing uncomfortably next to Godric and Eric while they spoke a language I couldn't decipher at all, Eric darted off. "Where did he go?" I asked Godric.

"He had some business to tend to."

I crossed my arms angrily and raised my eyebrows. "So, you just let him run off? You feel a need to watch me at all times, but you let your young, helpless progeny just run around the world alone?"

"Eric may be young, but he is not helpless. And I do not watch you at all times, just most of the time. Let's return to the nest."

Godric grabbed my arm as if to lead me back to the house, but I stood stubbornly in my tracks. "No. I think now would be a good time to learn how to fly. Teach me."

The vampire stared at me with a blank face. When he realized I was serious, he glanced around and said, "Not here. There are too many trees and we're too close to town. Maybe another time."

"Well, let's find a better location."

"Not tonight."

"But I-"

Godric tugged on my arm, causing me to stumble forward. "Do not provoke me," he hissed, and then began to run-drag me back to the house.

I was angry, and felt cheated. I didn't even look at Godric as I huffed back to my room.

Two nights later, a similar scenario developed. "I'm going out to hunt," I told Godric, just so that he wouldn't try to stop me at the door.

"Again?" he asked skeptically. I could tell he doubted my honesty.

It took all my willpower not to roll my eyes. "Yes, again. I don't drink as much from my humans as you do, Godric. I need to feed more often." I tilted my head to the side and said cockily, "I suppose you won't be joining me since you're still full."

Godric's brows furrowed, knowing he had been caught in a corner. He would either have to let me leave alone, or accompany me again- solidifying his obvious lack of faith in me. His head snapped to the side and he began a hushed conversation with Eric. I groaned audibly and leaned against the wall as I waited for permission to leave.

Eric stood up with an obvious irritation, and stomped over to me. My eyes widened in realization and I pointed to the gigantic Viking that made me look like a pea in comparison. "Are you serious, Godric? I do not need Eric to monitor me. This is ridiculous."

"Eric is a new vampire, Juliana. He needs to feed frequently or he could snap."

I threw a sideways glance at Eric. He had muscles that I knew would be dangerous if he did ever "snap." Still, I was not buying this new excuse to control my existence. "This isn't fair, Godric. Look at my face." I pointed to my clearly disapproving frown and then to Eric's mean scowl. "And look at Eric's face. These are not the faces of people who like each other. I don't mean to be irrational, but there's a good chance we might kill each other."

"Do you need me to come with you to prevent this inevitable battle to the death?" A small smirk began to form on Godric's face, and I knew I was going to lose this battle once again.

"I don't like having people watch me all the time," I whined.

Godric shrugged. "Don't think of it as Eric watching you. Think of it more as you watching Eric. He is a new vampire after all."

I turned to Eric with a look of distaste. With a sigh, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door. He snarled at me, and I shouted over my shoulder, "I should not have to babysit a Viking!"

If you've ever had the discomfort of trying to cooperate with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you, you are probably well aware of the frustration that develops. I pointed to a couple of humans that would be easy to attack because they were standing unknowingly in their front yards. "Them," I mouthed to Eric. He just stared back at me with his impassive blue eyes. "Humans!" I said, gesturing wildly to the people only a few meters from us. The Viking still looked back at me with an impossible expression. I had no idea if he understood what I was saying or not. My fangs clicked out, only to indicate that I meant to feed on the humans, but I suppose Eric misunderstood.

The vampire's fangs pierced the air, and he suddenly collided with me, pushing me several meters backwards. I crashed to the ground near the house that I was planning on attacking before Eric had assaulted me. Before I could even get up and try to pantomime that I wasn't trying to attack him, I saw Eric hungrily tearing into _both_ of the humans. _How is he even doing that? _I wondered, before I realized that this meant Eric had known all along what I was trying to communicate. Infuriated, I leapt to my feet and snatched one of the humans from him. He looked at me mischievously, clearly relishing in how he had fooled and frustrated me.

I was feeding on my human, who was not going to survive after the mutilation Eric had caused to his neck, when I suddenly felt a hand pat my back. Spinning around, I saw Eric holding his victim's severed arm, poking me with it. _What an immature freak…. _I pulled the arm out of his hand and smacked him with it. "Go away, Eric!" I snapped, and threw the arm away from me, hoping he would fetch it like a dog. He didn't, and instead hovered over me impatiently.

I decided it would be fun to take as longas possible to feed from my human. I sucked one drop at a time. I took more blood than I needed. I managed to drag out this event long after my human had perished. Eric licked the blood around his mouth, but then he had nothing else to do. He tapped his foot and ran a hand through his hair. After several minutes of this, he finally began to pull the human away from me.

"Stop!" I shouted, and pulled on the arms of my human while he pulled the legs. Eric shouted something back to me and then flared his fangs. I bared mine and then we had a tug of war until the human's abdomen severed in two. I was annoyed beyond belief. Eric reminded me of all those times my little sisters had annoyed me in my human life… except worse, _much _worse.

Eric and I glared each other down, each waiting for the other to strike first. Neither of us wanted to have Godric's wrath for starting a fight. We stood frozen for several minutes, just radiating hate. Finally, I developed a better plan. Without warning, I darted off into the forest and up a tree. The Viking hurried after me, but was too slow. He lost track of me instantly, and I watched for ten minutes as he darted around the village and the forest searching for me. I knew Godric had given him orders to watch me at all times, and this was the perfect way to get Eric worried unnecessarily. Eventually, when Eric's back was turned, I ran back to the house.

Godric glanced up at me when I entered and frowned. "Where is Eric?" he asked.

I shrugged. "You know, the strangest thing happened. He started to shout something and then he ran off. I don't have a clue why."

I watched Godric close his eyes and I wondered what he was doing. A moment later Eric returned to the house, looking frazzled and furious. He glared daggers at me and then began shouting. He was pointing at me, and I was pretty sure he was telling the Godric his side of the story.

Our maker turned his dark eyes onto me. "You ran off?"

I crossed my arms. "You would believe Eric over me?" I pouted, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Godric didn't even blink. "Yes."

It was clear that Godric and Eric were very close, like brothers. Most of the time they were inseparable. I knew this would make it difficult to kill Eric, and although I gave the idea much thought, I knew it was a pipe dream. Killing Eric would be like killing myself, because Godric would never let me live after that.

I decided it would be more beneficial for me to learn Swedish. After a month of learning from Godric, I knew just enough to introduce myself, ask for directions to a pub, and tell Eric that he was a dirty rat.

Unfortunately, Eric also spent some time returning the favor by learning Latin. I knew this because one night Eric smiled and called me "prostibulae." I was thoroughly insulted because, not only did he call me a prostitute, but he also handed me some coins while he said it. Needless to say, Eric and I butted heads.

Godric and I did not get along well either. Every night I would ask him to teach me how to fly, and every night he would make up some excuse. "One shouldn't fly on a full stomach." "One should not fly on an empty stomach." "One should not fly after too little sleep." "You aren't concentrating enough." "It's cloudy tonight." "It's raining tonight." "There are too many humans out tonight." It seemed like Godric had an excuse for every day of the week.

After every excuse I would ask, "Would tomorrow night be better for you?" And Godric would always answer, "Of course, tomorrow night you will learn how to fly." Of course, that never happened.

I questioned whether Godric even knew how to fly, so one night he showed both Eric and I. It was magical, and I desperately wanted to learn. I wanted to fly more than anything in the world. But the worst part wasn't that Godric wouldn't teach me how to fly. The worst was the look I saw in Eric's eyes when he saw Godric flying. I knew he wanted to learn how to fly too. I could see the desire and the drive just as vibrantly glowing in his eyes as it was in mine. But I knew Godric would teach Eric before he taught me. We may have both been his progenies, but it was clear who his favorite was.

I knew if I ever wanted to learn how to fly, I was going to have to become likeable. I also knew if I ever wanted to bump Eric out of his "most prized progeny" position, I was going to burry my pride. And, unfortunately, I knew I was going to have to befriend the vampire that ruined my life.


	12. A Waterfall

**A/N: I am soooooooo sorry at how terribly long this has taken to come out. Thank you for your patience, and I will begin to update every week again. If you want a good excuse as to what I've been doing besides updating, I don't have one. But I am in the process of applying for colleges and I have a new job now. So, sorry again. Thanks for reading, fav-ing, and reviewing! –PB**

Godric and I arrived at the dance venue at 10 PM. We could feel the vibrations from the music on the rooftop of the building.

"Is this how the teenagers enter their dances nowadays?" I asked sarcastically, and Godric threw a smirk at me.

"Only the naughty ones." But I knew what the real reason was. Now that the existence of vampires was commonplace knowledge, schools checked for vampirism before big functions like Prom. It was a controversial practice, but very few vampires went to school, and so school officials would tap every child with a silver tipped wand upon entering just to make sure no one "unwanted" snuck in.

I rolled my eyes as Godric wrenched open the door that lead to the roof access. He paused at the doorway and motioned for me to enter. "Ladies first," he said with a smile. I lightly curtsied for him and then walked in.

The music was loud, and it was pop. I couldn't even see the dance floor and I was already worried about dancing. I didn't really know what to expect. The last time I had been to a dance was in the 30's. I pretty sure the Charleston wasn't a cool dance anymore.

As we reached the dance floor, my fears were realized. I had no idea what the people out there were doing. They were in circles, or in lines. The circles were dancing only with their upper bodies, and the lines were on top of each other like some strange, clothed orgy. I turned to Godric with a grimace. "I suppose now would not be the best time to tell you that I don't know how to dance," I shouted over the music. Godric just continued to smile back at me.

"That makes two of us."

***Centuries Ago***

I associate with Eric more than I care to admit. The Viking was like a boil on my life- everywhere I went he was close by, annoying me to no end. I went hunting once, and no human would come near me. I soon realized that _someone _had glamoured every human in the town into believing I was a witch. It took me an hour before I could find a human to feed from. Another time, I went out to steal some dresses from the townspeople only to discover that _someone _had stolen all the dresses from absolutely all the women in the nearest village. Some of the women were walking around in their undergarments, hypnotized into believing they were fully clothed. _Someone _carved foul words onto my bedroom door. _Someone _set fire to my bed. _Someone _interchanged my bath salts for sodium, causing the tub to explode.

If these antics continued, _someone _was going to be killed.

I decided the best way to get back at Eric and slowly push myself into Godric's good graces would be to make Eric seem like an idiot.

Getting the Viking to look like a moron wasn't as difficult as I had imagined. When he was instructed to watch me, I frequently ran away. I punched small holes in the roof of his bedroom, so that during the day he would start screaming about the sunlight burning him. I set up silver traps for him; some as simple as lining a doorknob with silver so that he burned his hand, others as complicated as a silver "J" swinging down from the doorway and smacking him in the back. That one was particularly amusing, because then it was like the giant, Swedish Viking belonged to me.

Godric wasn't amused- he was disappointed. Although it wasn't fair to Eric, he expected his Viking progeny to be stronger, smarter, and more deceptive than I. Eric had the potential to have all of those qualities, but at least for now he couldn't meet Godric's high standards. Every time I tricked him, humiliated him, or hurt him was one more mark against Eric. My shenanigans didn't exactly make Godric like me more, but if it made Godric like Eric less, than I considered that progress.

"You know he only dislikes you because you and Mae overpowered him," Godric told me once. "His pride was injured because two girls almost killed him."

"He was trying to kill me, so of course we fought back. And naturally two intelligent, powerful, old vampires could overpower a brand new vampire. Why would you even send him after me in the first place? Did you really think that little of me? Do you _still _think that little of me?" I asked.

Godric shrugged. "At the time I didn't exactly know what skill level you were. And I didn't instruct Eric to kill you with the intention of him a_ctually _killing you; I simply wanted him to gain some experience. And I don't think little of you."

I was pretty sure Godric was starting to consider me something other than a worrisome progeny. I figured I was pretty close to breaking some sort of invisible barrier that was keeping him from trusting me like he trusted Eric. I really didn't want a personal relationship with Godric, but I did want him to at least treat me equally with Eric. And I _really _wanted to learn how to fly.

Eric and I went out to hunt late one evening when I decided it was time to plan my next move. The Viking was hovering behind me, certain I was going to run away again like I had the past several times. He was right, but I wasn't going to let him know it; mostly because I didn't exactly know how I was going to fool him this time. I let him stalk behind me like some enormous shadow until we reached the town.

Eric said to me in broken Latin, "Where?" I glanced around the town and didn't see any potential hosts so I pointed towards the edge of town. We walked in that direction for a while until we found an eerie old house. When we reached the house I turned to Eric and smiled. He shrugged in agreement, and I knocked on the door. A moment later a strange old man in peculiar clothing opened the door and tilted his head to the side. "What do you want?" he snapped at me.

"Please sir," I begged, pretending to be cold with fake shivers, "My stupid slave got confused while we were traveling to London and now we're lost. Could you please point us in the right direction?"

He groaned, but took a step outside to direct us. "Right that way, miss-" He said, but Eric cut him off with a quick snapped neck. We dragged him back inside his house and closed the door.

The man was obviously some kind of witchdoctor, because he had so many obscure plants, boiling pots, and dead animals in glass jars. His house smelled of pungent old concoctions and Eric scowled- whether at me or the smell I wasn't sure. He said something in Swedish along the lines of "Stupid girl always chooses the crazy ones."

I rolled my eyes and motioned to our kill. "You first," I said in Swedish, but Eric just shook his head.

"I'll find my own meal," He replied and leaned against the wall lazily. The eccentric atmosphere of the house inspired my next move. I began feeding, but no sooner had I started did I stop, and let the man's corpse fall down at my feet. Eric looked at me with a puzzled expression, but before he could ask what I was doing, I fell over on the ground as well. I began to convulse, moving each of my appendages erratically on the floor, and made grotesque sounds with my mouth. Eric hovered over me, a look of pure terror spread across his face. It took all my willpower to keep going and not laugh instantly. After nearly a minute of shaking and gargling, I stopped- still as death on the ground.

My eyes were closed but I could hear Eric cursing above me and I felt him touch my arm, "Juliana?" He asked, shaking me a little as if to wake me up. I didn't move, and Eric continued to pace around the room. I heard him move the dead man's body away from mine, and then I felt him lift me up. At first, I was afraid he was going to take me to Godric, because then the plan would have been ruined. Thankfully, I think Eric was afraid of taking my seemingly dead body to Godric as well, because he dropped me back on the ground and darted out of the house.

I waited for a few seconds until I knew he was gone before I got up and smoothed out my dress. I hurried out of the house though a back door and began to run in the direction of something of which I had only heard rumors.

I followed the local river as I ran through the forest. A few miles away was supposed to be something stunning, but I had never had the opportunity to see it for myself. I tried to run as fast as I could because I knew sooner or later Eric would return and realize I had tricked him with a fake seizure. Could vampires even die by seizure? I didn't know, and I suspected Eric had no idea either.

After a few minutes of running, I knew Eric must have realized I had tricked him. A shiver ran from the bottom of my spine all the way to the top of my neck. I knew that meant Godric was looking for me, and without a doubt that meant Godric was going to find me. I picked up my pace and tried to ignore the prickling sensation that meant I was being tracked.

The forest was getting thicker and thicker the farther I traveled into it. The maneuverability was a challenge, but I knew I had to continue running as fast as I could or else Godric would catch me before I got where I reached my destination. After all, he was hundreds of years older than me and didn't have the burden of having to run through the forest- he could simply fly over it.

Another shiver pierced the back of my neck and I knew Godric was close. I leaned forward and plowed through the last bit of forest. A low roar had progressively grown louder and louder throughout the forest, and that's how I knew I was approaching my destination. Soon, the rush of water was so loud, and the ground and trees were so misty and mossy I had to instantly stop running or I would have run right off the face of the cliff.

A beautiful waterfall cascaded down the cliff face into a large, dark lake. The lake seemed rather serene considering the height and ferocity of the intimidating waterfall. The sight was stunning: a powerful waterfall and a tranquil lake, like two contradictions all wrapped together in one. I started to walk closer to the mouth of the waterfall, but suddenly Godric was standing in front of me.

Quickly, I took a step back out of surprise. His cold eyes analyzed me before he shouted over the raging waterfall, "What are you doing here?"

"Having fun!" I replied with a goofy grin. He must have thought I was insane, or at least he didn't grasp why running away to a waterfall would be amusing.

The vampire glanced down the side of the cliff into the lake and then quickly over his shoulder at the waterfall. "If you're trying to kill yourself," he told me with a slight frown, "you're going about it all wrong."

I let a hallow laugh escape my lips, he really had no idea. "And how would killing myself be fun?" I asked, and then turned to face the edge of the cliff. I felt Godric latch onto my arm, preventing me from jumping.

"You're insane," he said, tugging me back slightly.

"I am not." I held my ground and tried unsuccessfully to pull away from him. "It's called an adrenaline rush. You do something crazy and you let you're fear amuse you. It's exciting."

Godric looked over the cliff face again and said, "I don't think I understand how this could be fun."

"I guess you'll just have to jump."

For a moment, I thought there would be no way in hell Godric would ever release my arm. He stared at me with a look of disbelief, as if I were a lunatic he was trying to save from death. I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "You wouldn't understand."

I felt his fingers slacken slightly and he tilted his chin towards the edge. "You first."

I couldn't contain a grin. It spread infectiously across my face and I think I even laughed a little. Godric stood next to me, with our toes hanging over the side. I paused for a moment as I looked down into the lake and Godric turned to me with a smirk. "Getting cold feet?" he asked.

"Hardly," I scoffed, and then jumped. The first few seconds, all I could think was that I had made a huge mistake. I suppose that's the fear talking, but for a moment I couldn't even scream. Then, I started to laugh. It actually was a lot of fun. The fall only lasted 12 seconds, and then I knew I was about to hit the water. I took a big breath of air and prepared for impact when I felt two hands grab my sides.

I gasped as I slid through Godric's grasp, I was going too fast for him to catch me, but he grabbed onto my hand. I stopped with my feet barely grazing the water. I glanced up at him and shook my head, "You really don't understand the idea of fun, do you?"

He carried me to the bank of the river and dropped me in. The water was shallow, and barely hit my hips. Godric sat on a partly submerged log a few feet away. "How is plummeting into a lake fun?" He asked.

"You would have found out had you actually fallen, and not _flied_, down the cliff."

"You were scared," He pointed out, and for those few seconds during freefall I had forgotten the vampire could feel all of my emotions.

"That's part of the fun," I said with slight exasperation.

"Can you even swim?" Godric asked me with the same tone.

My dress was billowing around me in the cold water and I tried to push it down. "Not really, I never learned."

I looked up and Godric was rubbing his temples. "How you've survived this long is a mystery to me."

I looked at the way he was perched on the log and realized something. "You can't swim either, can you?"

Godric looked at me and shook his head. "My master would have never allowed me to learn."

"Marius?" I asked, thinking of the second vampire who had assisted in the demolition of my human life.

The vampire's eyes narrowed. "I said "Master" not "Maker." Marius was not a part of my human life, although I wish he had been. Maybe it wouldn't have been so terrible."

I thought about that for a moment and realized I knew nothing about Godric's human life. I really knew nothing about him at all. "If you had a master then… that means you were a slave?"

"My master was a horrible man," was his only response. His fists were clenched so tightly together that his white knuckles almost seemed to want to pop right out of his skin. I had no idea what was done to him during his slavery, and I really didn't want to know if it was making Godric this angry.

"Did Marius save you?" I asked, trying to steer him away from bad memories and back to ones that at least Godric thought were good.

"No, I had to save myself. Then I became a warrior, and that's how Marius found me. He thought I was a brave fighter, so he turned me. Strength isn't something that's easily found." I was looking down into the water when I felt Godric eyes one me. When I looked back up at him, he said, "That's why I turned you."

"I wasn't a warrior, I was a sheepherder."

"You were strong. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"I know I was strong- _am _strong." I groaned and tried to switch topics again. I didn't want think about my human life anymore than Godric did. "Why did you turn Eric?" My tone was a little sharper than I had anticipated.

"Eric is strong as well."

"That's because he's a god damn giant."

"It's because he has no fear," Godric corrected me.

"I think I scared him today with my little 'seizure,'" I snickered, and Godric frowned.

"Why are you jealous of him?"

I felt my jaw go slack for a moment before I rebounded. "I am _not _jealous of Eric. I don't like Eric. I _hate _Eric."

"You think I replaced you."

"I-I do not. You can turn whomever you wish. I don't care. It's none of my business. It's just that Eric is annoying, and violent, and cruel, and stupid, and I hate him."

Godric didn't seem to be listening to me. I caught his eyes quickly flicker to the right, as if he were looking at something behind me. His dark irises paused at that point for a mere second before they fell back onto me. But the look wasn't the same anymore- or rather, it wasn't the same look he had been using all night. He was cold again, calculating.

I stopped talking to look over my shoulder, but suddenly Godric grabbed my hand and tugged me towards him. "Come with me," he demanded.

Instinctively, I pulled away and he almost fell into the lake. I didn't like his tone, and I knew something wasn't right. But I hardly had time to react before I heard a voice I thought I would never hear again. A shrill voice called from behind me, "_Juliana!_"


	13. Push

**AN: Thank you for all your continued support and patience! Anyone who's been a senior in high school knows how hectic life is! But I promise to continue this story, and I will continue to write and upload, so never fear! Reviews/ favorites/ alerts appreciated! They make me want to write for you guys even more. Love, Plaid Beans**

Godric grabbed my hand softly, and pulled me towards the back of the dance floor, away from the more inappropriate dancers. He spun me in a small circle and I laughed. Then, he put his right hand on my waist and his left on my back. It was a sweet embrace, and we swayed to the music that was centuries ahead of our time.

The dance was a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I had worried about the dancing, but where we were there were a lot of couples who were dancing just as intimately as us. I watched over Godric's shoulder as a girl spontaneously stood on the tips of her toes and kissed her date. I thought that it was so beautiful, so I pulled away from Godric to do the same to him.

When he felt me lean away from him, Godric began to ask, "Juliana, is everything-" But I cut him off with a soft kiss on the lips. I pulled away fairly quickly and laughed at Godric expression. His dark eyes were wide with surprise, but there was a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"What was that for?" he asked, the grin still plastered across his face.

"It was a thank you," I responded. "This has been the most fun I've had in decades. And it was all because of you."

I felt Godric's grip on my back tighten, and he pulled me close to him so quickly that I hardly had time to respond. Suddenly, my lips were locked with his and I lost my sense of reality. I couldn't remember anything about our past, and I could only live in the moment. And in that moment, I loved Godric.

I could have kissed him forever, but suddenly I felt something wet splash my back. I gasped, and spun to see what had happened. Three sweaty guys were laughing while another scrambled to pick up a water bottle that had rolled to halt at my feet. When he stood up after retrieving the now half-empty bottle, he grinned at me and said half-heartedly, "Ha, sorry about your dress." I could smell the vodka radiating off of him, and I was pretty sure my pink dress now had a giant alcohol stain on the back.

Gritting my teeth, I gestured towards the middle of the dance floor. "Why don't you go back to the drunken grinding you came from?"

His friends yowled with laughter and suddenly I felt the human's clammy hand grab mine. "Why don't you come with me? I can show you a better time then this punk," he snapped, referring to Godric. I felt Godric tense up from behind me, but I was already furious enough for the both of us. With a fling of my arm, I sent the human flying backwards. He tumbled into his friends and sent the entire group to the floor.

I felt Godric grab my hand and start to pull me away from what was developing into quite a scene. The music stopped and a large circle of spectators had formed around us. The boy I had assaulted scrambled to his feet and pointed at me. "She-she's a vampire!"

***Centuries Ago***

I tugged my arm out of Godric's grasp and turned around to face the voice. My eyes were watering, and before I even had a chance to respond, I saw Mae. She was across the lake, and her voice was slightly drowned out by the rushing water, but there was no mistaking her presence. Even though I wasn't facing Godric, I was subconsciously aware of him moving slowly away from me.

Mae flew over the lake as a black blur, and in an instant was right in front of me, embracing me. "Juliana? Are you all right? What are you doing here?" She gasped, and pulled away from me for a moment to look around. Her eyes paused on Godric, and I felt her glare at him before she turned back to me.

I was too overcome with happiness to realize how awkward this must have been for Godric and Mae. Wiping a bloody tear from my cheek I squealed, "Mae! I'm so happy you're here! I thought I'd never see you again!"

The vampire rolled her dark eyes, "Of course you were going to see me again. I told you I was going to come back after the mission. I left you a letter." Her tone was so finite that I was embarrassed. She seemed to mean, 'It is so annoying how insecure you are.'

Bashfully, I whispered, "I received the letter but I thought it was forged."

Now Mae just seemed confused. "Forged? By whom?"

"The King."

"The King? Russell?" Mae laughed. "Why would he do that?"

"To disguise the fact he murdered you."

"Russell wouldn't spend the time faking a letter. If he really wanted to kill me he would have just done it publically. Why would you even think that?"

That was a good question, and one that I had never really thought about. I had always had a bad feeling when I was around King Edgington, but that could mostly be attributed to the werewolf packs that roamed around his castle. In fact, the King never really seemed like he was guilty of Mae's murder- he always claimed to have liked Mae's company. Why would he kill her? Why had I _thought _he had killed her?

That's when I remembered the night Miguel and I escaped the castle: Godric had appeared out of nowhere and changed everything- he convinced me Mae was gone, and that she was never coming back.

My eyes cut to Godric. Mae scowled. "You told her I was dead? You lying bag of scum!" She turned back to me and said, "Juliana, I went on that quest for you. In exchange for me finding some items for the King, you were supposed to be protected from _him._ The entire reason we went to the King's castle in the first place was to be safe from Godric and his Viking!"

"I know, I know. But the castle was crawling with werewolves, and the King was going to kill Miguel, and, well, I had to leave. And it's not like I thought you were going to come back! You said you were only going to be gone for a little while and then you were gone for two years!"I exclaimed, exasperated. Why was this reunion turning into a drama? I was starting to feel weary of the entire situation.

Mae rolled her eyes. "Two years? Juliana, two years _is_ a little while. You are over 200 years old! I thought you could handle a couple of years alone."

I crossed my arms and snapped, "Well, I can't. I don't like being alone."

Mae held up her hand as if to silence my anger. "Alright, I get it, you were lonely. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you would choose _them _to keep you company. Unless something pretty damn magical happened in the two years I was gone, I can't understand how you could possibly want to be here."

I glanced back over my shoulder and noticed Eric had arrived. He was standing behind Godric, glaring at me. I couldn't help but scowl back at the two of them. Pointing my index finger at Godric I spat, "Godric promised he would teach me how to fly. Although that hasn't exactly happened yet."

I watched as Mae and Godric locked eyes. Mae was slowly shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what Godric had done. When she turned back to me, she sighed, "Of course it hasn't happened yet, Juliana! Godric is a lying little deviant, we've already established that. But it's not that he _won't _teach you how to fly, it's that he _can't_. You have to be at least 300 years old to fly, and you aren't nearly that old yet."

"_What?_" I practically screamed. I spun around the face Godric, "Is that true? You were _never _going to teach me?"

Godric didn't even pause to think. "Not for another couple more decades; no."

It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. After all that time I spent practically begging Godric, trying to appease him however I could, it was all in vain? Furious, I fumed, "How could you? You lied to me!"

"I told you what you wanted to hear. Had I told you the truth you would have never come with me, and you more than likely would have been killed on your own. I didn't want you traveling rouge around the world. At least with me you were safe."

Mae barked out a sarcastic laugh. "That's a load. You were never protecting her- you were using her. You can't bear the fact that Juliana despises you so much that she would rather be alone than with you."

Godric was a streak of color as he pushed past me and threw himself on Mae with a fierce roar. I turned to see the vampire with his hands around Mae's neck. "Godric, _stop!_" I screamed, and made a motion to jump on Godric, but. The Viking wrapped his strong arms around my torso, and lifted me in the air.

"Eric, you bloody freak, let go of me!" I squeaked in Swedish because he was squeezing my chest to the point where it was difficult to breathe. After several seconds of squirming fruitlessly, I finally managed to swing my leg back and kick Eric right in his manhood. He dropped me immediately, and I put both of my hands on Godric shoulder's to wrenched him off of Mae. He stumbled backwards, and I quickly stood in between him and my best friend.

Mae was lying with both of her hands clutching her neck in protection. Her eyes were wide with shock, and it took her a second to stand back up, but when she did I knew she was ready to kill.

Godric's eyes were completely black and I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or Mae. . His chest heaved from exertion and his fangs were bared. I had a bad feeling in my stomach that something was going to go terribly wrong.

"Stop it, now! Both of you!" I threw my hands up in an attempt to make peace. I wanted to leave without any more conflict, but I knew that the chances of that were close to nothing.

"I'm going with Mae, Godric," I said as calmly as I could.

I saw Godric convulse slightly, as if the rage inside of him was almost too much for him to handle. "No you aren't. You're staying with me." Like a viper, his hand darted from a clenched fist at his side to a vice grip around my wrist. He pulled me forward and I nearly tumbled into him.

"Juliana!" Mae gasped from behind me, and quickly moved closer to break us apart. But the second she was within Godric's arm's reach, he swung his arm out and pushed Mae with a startling amount of force. She went flying into the forest, and then there was a sickening _thud _as she collided with a tree.

I felt Godric's grip on my arm loosen with the shock of his action. I did not have the same reaction. Mae was propped up against a fallen tree, with a sharp, jagged slice of the stump piercing through the right side of her abdomen. 

"_No!"_ I screamed in terror, and darted over to Mae faster than I had ever run in my entire life. Her face was a startlingly pallid shade as she looked down to see blood and wood coming out of her stomach. "Don't worry, Mae," I whispered comfortingly, but not without a bit of hysteria, "You're going to be fine." As gingerly as I could manage, I pulled Mae off of the tree's spike. She gasped in pain, and instead of waiting for her to heal, I scooped her up in my arms. I dashed around Godric and Eric, making sure to nudge the Viking just enough so that he would fall flat on his back, and ran into the forest. 

My intention was to get as far away from Godric and Eric as possible, but I soon realized that they weren't even following us. After a few minutes and several miles, Mae said, "You can set me down now. I'm fine." And so I did. Mae carefully touched the bloody tear in her dress and poked her stomach. She was healed now, but still sore, and I saw her grimace a little.

"I cannot believe he almost killed me," Mae mumbled more to herself than to me, "He was just a few inches off from my heart."

"It was an accident, he didn't mean to nearly kill you. I saw the look on his face and he was-"

"Sadistic? Insane?" Mae cut me off angrily. "Am I seriously hearing this right now? Are you actually _defending _him?"

"N-no, I'm not. What he did was not right. But I am saying that he isn't all bad, like I

imagined. There is something else inside of him besides hatred and evil."

Mae seemed to be growing more furious by the second. "I honestly do not believe this. Juliana,_ he tried to kill me_. What part of that makes it seem as though he has any redeemable qualities?"

"It was an accident; he wasn't trying to kill you. And he let me leave with you: that is a redeemable quality."

"Accident or not, if that tree had pierced me in my heart instead of my abdomen, you wouldn't have been carrying me here- you would have been carrying some gelatinous blob of my intestines and skin. And, if he is so generous and forgiving, then why don't you stay with him? Why did you even leave?"

Mae's voice was growing louder with frustration, and I felt mine rising to keep up. "Because I don't want to be with him! I never have!"

"Good, I'm glad to see that you still have some intelligence."

"Excuse me?"

"Allow me to refresh your memory. Godric killed your family. Godric killed you. Godric turned you. Godric raped you. Godric tried to re-kill you… twice. Now, Godric lied to you, and he nearly killed me." Mae was counting off all of Godric's sins with her fingers, and finally crossed her arms when she had finished. It was a terrifyingly impressive list. "Now, why don't you answer again. Does Godric have any qualities that come even close to forgiving all of those actions?"

It wasn't difficult to answer that question. "No."

Mae was nodding, and suddenly her eyes lit up with a thought. "We need to stop him- and the Viking- once and for all. We can't run forever."

I suppose I must not have looked as excited about the idea as Mae had expected, because she rolled her eyes and spat, "I knew it- you're too weak. I bet you love him."

"I do _not _love him. How can you even say that?" I retorted venomously. Mae wasn't phased.

"Well, some part of you must at least like him if you're not jumping at the idea of killing him."

"It's not that I don't want to kill Godric, it's that I wanted to kill him years ago. _You _were the one who advised me against it. You said something about how it feels terrible when your maker dies. Don't you remember that?"

Mae sat stubbornly on the ground with her legs crossed. "Of course I do. But I've had a change of heart."

"Could that be from the tree that nearly pierced it?" I said caustically.

"Yes."

I groaned. "This is a bad idea. You're thinking is muddled by anger, embarrassment, and fear. You just want to kill him because he almost killed you."

"He'll try again. Don't you understand? We'll never be free until they are gone." She had a point, but I still wasn't convinced. Mae scowled. "Look, you're either with me, or you're against me. Godric crossed the line, and I am going to kill him, with or without you. But if you and I are going to be friends, then I have to know you won't get in my way when I end him."

"I won't get in your way."


	14. Caught

**AN: Thank you to everyone for reading and fav-ing, and reviewing! I love knowing that people enjoy this story as much as I do. And I want to thank everyone who reviewed especially, because I finally reached my personal goal of 100 reviews! So thank you so much for that! (I plan on printing out all the reviews so that they can inspire me when I write other things as well!)**

**With that said, I do really try to consider what you have put into your comments, and since quite a few people were confused about how Godric, Eric, and Juliana really feel about each other, I put this chapter and the next one in, which will hopefully shed some light on that. Of course, these three are not static characters (you wouldn't like them if they were), so their emotions will naturally change a lot. Also, I've received this question quite a bit: Is Juliana a virgin? The answer is no, in chapter two it was insinuated that Godric raped her before he turned her (while she was unconscious) because it's "bad luck to turn a virgin." That has been her only very intimate relationship so far, since her life has been pretty hectic since then. If you want her to be more sexually active, then I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed. I don't want to write any explicit scenes like that, and I really don't even know how to work in non-explicit scenes into my story plot. **

**I'll put up the next chapter tomorrow because both of them were originally going to be one giant chapter, but I decided I didn't like that. So, read and enjoy! And thank you so much again! (Phew, long authors note, haha.)**

I saw two men in vests that read "security" emerge from the circle of spectators. Godric was squeezing my hand, silently communicating to me that I shouldn't move. It took quite a bit of will power to keep my fangs from emerging out of anger and fear.

Both of the men had their hands perched guardedly on their pistols. "We do not desire conflict," Godric spoke calmly, but loudly enough to be heard over the loud hum of the crowd, "We will leave peacefully."

"Your kind is not supposed to be here. You two are going to have to come with us," one of them responded sternly. There was this anxious tension radiating from the crowd, and I couldn't help but feel it affecting me too. Everything was happening so quickly, I didn't know how to respond.

"You should let us just leave now," Godric said in his diplomatic voice, "We don't want to trouble you anymore-"

"He's trying to glamour them!" Someone screeched from the crowd, and suddenly everyone was screaming. "They're going to eat us all!"

People began to run towards the exits, and I turned to Godric for advice in the midst of the mass hysteria that our presence had caused. I suppose I must have moved too quickly for the comfort of the security, because suddenly a bullet tore through my back and I crumpled to the floor.

A shrill cry escaped my mouth, and I felt bloody tears begin to well in my eyes. The bullet had severed my spinal cord, and I couldn't feel anything lower than my torso. But even an injury like that wouldn't have called for such a severe reaction- except for the bullet was silver. It felt like my body was on fire; my entire back was throbbing in uncontrollable waves of agony. Godric scooped me off the floor, and I clutched onto him, squeezing his shoulders and back in an effort to relieve my own pain.

In seconds Godric had darted out of the dance venue; the humans probably didn't even have the time to consider blinking before we had vanished. A few minutes later, we were back at my house, and Godric set me face-down on my bed.

"Don't move," he commanded. I felt him tear the back of my dress so that he could see the wound. His cold fingers grazed down my back and pause above the bullet hole. A moment later he said, "Eric, hold her down. She's going to squirm, I know it."

I hadn't even realized the Viking was back at my house, but suddenly his big hands were resting on my shoulders. I turned my head to the side and tried to analyze his expression. He seemed mostly concerned, with some traces of pity and sadness. I was about to say something to him, but suddenly the pain in my back intensified ten-fold as Godric attempted to extract the bullet. I don't believe I've ever screamed louder in my life. I convulsed from the pain so forcefully, even Eric was unprepared. But then his natural Viking strength kicked in, and Eric forced me back down with such strength that it was difficult to breathe, let alone fidget in pain.

Thankfully, the pain was only temporary, and Godric expertly pulled the bullet out of my spine. I felt Eric's hands lift off of me and the room became quiet with the exception of my sniffling. Finally, I sighed and sat upright, making sure to hold my dress so that it wouldn't fall down. I'm sure I must have looked terrible because Eric bit his lip slightly and said, "I guess it's safe to say the date did not go well, right?"

*** Centuries Ago***

"Have you felt Godric try to contact you?"

"No."

"Any tingling sensations?"

"No, Mae."

"Just checking. I don't want him to know what we are planning."

"What _you're _planning."

"Right, that's what I said."

Mae and I were sitting on the steeple of a chapel, squinting into the forest that surrounded it. We were on the border of Sweden, trying to find the local werewolf pack. I was terribly uncomfortable with Mae's plan, but she had her mind stubbornly attached to this idea. And now that she was determined to kill Godric, nothing could deter his fixation.

However, that doesn't mean I didn't try. "Mae, we should just move on. This isn't worth it."

Mae threw a venomous glare at me, "Godric nearly killed me. Killing him would be more than worth the effort."

"But using werewolves? Please, Mae, you know how I feel about those creatures."

The vampire's disposition softened slightly. "I know, Juliana. If there was another way I would consider it. But werewolves are the easies way to get to Eric, and that Viking is the easiest way to get to Godric."

It had been nearly a month since our final encounter with Godric and Eric. Almost instantly after our escape, Mae began plotting Godric and Eric's murders. In order to do this, however, Mae determined that we had to find out more about Godric's beloved progeny. That led us to Sweden, where we heard legends about an entire clan of Vikings that had been decimated by wolves. They were all found dead, except for the Chief's son. The legend made it seem like the son was a man-wolf who had killed his entire family, but Mae and I knew differently. Eric was a vampire because of Godric, but he was an orphaned prince because of werewolves.

"Godric has spent the past few centuries of his life searching for you. I'm sure now that you've defected from his life for good, he will have to start listening to Eric's wishes. And I would be willing to bet that Eric wants to find the wolves who killed his family. Perhaps this is the tribe!"

"But what if it isn't?"

"Well, Eric will have to come here eventually to find out for himself. If we can get the wolves on our side, we can use them to trap Eric, and then use Eric to trap Godric."

I shifted a little in discomfort, but Mae didn't notice. Suddenly, she pointed into the woods and squealed, "I see one of them! Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and leapt off the church, dragging me down with her. Then, she pulled me into the forest after the mangy mutt she was attempting to employ.

"You try to catch him from the south, and I'll come in from the north," She directed me, than ran off. I rolled my eyes, but followed her instructions.

I reached the wolf first and said, "Excuse me, sir, I require your assistance." The wolf jumped a little at the sound of my voice, and then turned his big head to face me. He seemed confused, and then growled at me in a warning. I felt my legs turn to jelly and suddenly I forgot what I was doing. The wolf tilted his head back and howled into the air, obviously calling for the rest of his pack. I wanted to run away, but before I got the chance, a black blur tackled the wolf and pinned him to the ground.

"Transform!" Mae screamed into the wolf's snarling, hairy face. For a moment, the wolf seemed furious and not at all willing to transform into anything. Then Mae pressed down on him with her super-human strength and the wolf whimpered loudly in pain. Suddenly, he was a human again.

"Please, stop!" He cried in Swedish, "My arm! My arm!" Sure enough, Mae had managed to break his arm. Not at all afraid of the man version of a werewolf, I helped him stand up.

"If you help us, I won't kill you," Mae said in an unintentionally sharp tone.

"Mae!" I snapped at her, then said to the wolf, "My friend means to say that we would love if you would agree to help us."

The werewolf grit his teeth in pain but sighed, "What do you need?"

With the werewolves as our weary allies, all Mae and I had to do was wait. For the next several weeks Mae and I lounged around the town, hoping for the perfect moment. Mae had so carefully planned her attack that she knew exactly what we were both going to do at every stage, and frankly at every second, of the assault. She would have me reiterate my own steps several times during the day, just to make sure I knew what my job was. I had never been a strong supporter of her plan, but Mae didn't care. Her entire mentality was, "So? You don't want to kill them- that's fine, you're not. I'm going to be the one plunging a stake through their hearts, so why don't you just keep your qualms to yourself."

But I felt guilty, and no matter what Mae said or what I tried to tell myself, there was nothing I could do to shake that feeling. I knew all the terrible things Godric and Eric had done to me. I knew they would probably try to hurt me again in the future. But I just didn't feel like this was right. Whenever I would bring up my worries to Mae, she would say, "Do not feel bad, Juliana. That's just your good nature taking advantage of you. Godric and Eric deserve this." And if I would persist, Mae's eyes would darken and she would hiss at me, "Fine. Feel guilty all you want. Just don't stand in my way."

One quiet night, all Mae's preparations and my misgivings were put to the challenge. We were sitting on top of the steeple of the church, which had the best vantage point in three miles, when we saw two figures run through the forest at a speed only two vampires could manage. "They're here! They're here!" Mae whispered excitedly, and quickly crouched down to be out of their view. We peeked over the edge of the roof and watched them move swiftly through the village, talking to some residents and then glamouring them before moving on. While they were distracted, Mae said, "Alright, I'm going to alert the wolves and you're going to follow Godric and the Viking. Understand?" I nodded, and Mae handed me several a long, thin silver chains and a pair of silk gloves. Then, she vanished.

I quickly put the gloves on, and continued to survey the vampires. After talking with a few more people, the two of them fed off of a young male human inside of his cottage home. Suddenly, a loud wolf cry echoed from the forest followed by several more. I watched through the window and Godric and Eric quickly conversed, and then darted out of the house and towards the direction of the wolves. I leapt off the roof and silently followed behind them.

A few seconds later, they were standing along the edge of a meadow, watching the wolves. I hid behind some trees, watching them, and wondered if Mae's plan would actually work. Eric whispered quickly to Godric, "I'm going in," but Godric instantly responded with a stern, "Be patient. Wait until they separate."

"No, I can't," he spat, and then darted into the center of the meadow and attacked. Viciously, he tore into the jugular of the first wolf he reached, and then tossed the human corpse to the side. The wolves began barking and snarling, and one of them attacked. But Eric was faster, and hateful vengeance was burning inside of him. With one swing of his arm, he had broken the wolf's back. Although the wolves were not outnumbered, they realized they were easily outmatched, and instantly dispersed in all directions. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder than nearly caused me to scream. It was Mae, and she first motioned for me to be silent, and then pointed to herself and Godric. Then, she pointed to me and then Eric, clearly designating what my next move was to be. I nodded in agreement, and ran along the forest to get to the other side of the meadow.

Eric was drenched in blood, and he was standing in the middle of the field with the look of a madman. One werewolf managed to dart out of Eric's grasp and ran in a dazed sense of fear and adrenaline towards me. This was the moment Mae had prepared me for. I pulled out the silver chain, and in a second the wolf passed me as he ran for his life. Eric was close behind him, but was terribly unprepared for my attack. As soon as I could, I had jumped on his back and wrapped my chain around his neck. Eric fell on his hand and knees, and when I tightened the chain, he made this sickening chocking sound. The Viking attempted to shake me off of his back, but I had a firm hold on the chain that was imbedded deep into his neck, burning him. His hands fought to pull the silver away from his sensitive skin, and since they were so close together, it only made it that much easier for me to tie another chain around them too. I quickly wrapped the silver around his wrists and then around his chest, so that they were pressed across his chest like an Egyptian mummy. With the Viking's entire upper body incapacitated, I finally managed to stand up catch my breath.

Eric squirmed beneath me, trying to loosen his burning restraints. I don't think he realized who had attacked him until I said, "Stop fidgeting, you damn giant, you'll only making it hurt worse."

The Viking froze for a moment, but then began to convulse more forcibly. I sighed, and grabbed on to the chain. Then I began the arduous process of dragging someone who was more than a foot taller than myself and nearly double my weight approximately a half a mile. When I finally made it to the cottage Mae had prepared, I was so tired. Eric had been kicking the entire way there, digging his heels into the ground like a stubborn toddler. I dragged the vampire into the cottage, slammed the door, and then collapsed onto the bed.

Eric groaned and continued to fight to escape. I heard rustling, and finally Eric managed to sit up with his back against a wall. I narrowed my eyes at him and warned, "Don't do anything stupid before Mae comes. I do not want to have to explain to her why I killed you before she could catch Godric."

"Godric?" Eric croaked. I imagine that the silver burning into his throat made it difficult for him to speak.

I shrugged. "It was Mae's idea. She was very intent on capturing and killing both of you for the past few months."

"Why?"

I raised an eyebrow at the Viking. "What do you mean 'Why?' Godric nearly killed her; she wants her revenge."

Eric coughed and then responded, "No. Why are _you _doing this?"

"Mae is my friend."

"You're acting as if she's your master."

"I do not have a master."

Eric struggled to breathe but continued to speak, "But you do have a maker, and so do I. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

I couldn't respond to that since I didn't know exactly how I felt about Godric. I jumped off the bed and went into the second room to wash my face- fighting with Eric had left me a little disheveled.

"He cares about you," I heard Eric say from the other room. "He wants you to be happy."

I let a wry laugh escape my mouth, and then shouted to Eric sarcastically, "That would explain why he's always hurting me, right?"

"He doesn't mean to hurt you; he's only frustrated that you don't want to be with him like he wants to be with you." I threw some water on my face and tried to ignore Eric. But the Viking continued, "But that's all behind him now that you've left. He doesn't want you to hate him, so he's leaving you alone now. That's why he didn't try to contact you."

"Be quiet, Viking," I snapped from the other room, "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Because you know I speak the truth. You don't want to have Godric's death on your head, so you're trying to remember him as the vampire who killed your family in an effort to justify this betrayal. But the reality is that Godric has changed just as much as you- and he doesn't deserve this."

I left the second room so that I could see Eric. "Be quiet, or I'll be forced to silence you myself," I warned, and sat back down on the bed. "It will only be a few minutes now, anyways."

"What he saw in you is a mystery to me," The Viking mumbled to himself.

"What he saw in _you _is a mystery to me," I retorted with a glare.

"At least I'm loyal, and I show some respect. If I ever have a progeny, I'll make sure I know at least something about their values before I go turning them- that way I won't end up with someone like you," Eric spat.

"You're just jealous because no matter how perfect you are, Godric will still continue to long for me. You may be the perfect progeny, but even you can't fill the space Godric has in his heart for me."

"Ha! You're the one jealous of me. You don't think Godric and I realized why you hated me so much when we all lived together? Godric prefers me because I'm so trustworthy. Godric can't even trust you as far as he can throw you."

I jumped off the bed kicked Eric back down on the floor. Pulling the silver chains even tighter, I retied them so that they would burn into him even more. Eric snarled into the floor where I left him before returning to lounge on the bed.

"When Godric is dead, I will kill you," Eric hissed.

"Good luck."


	15. Friends

**AN: Haha, I'm sure many of you are upset that I haven't updated in a while, but that's just how life is- or should I say **_**my **_**life- and I apologize. I know I said I would put this chapter up the next day, and that was because I had 90% of it written then. However, it took a lot longer than I had imagined to do the last 10%. I'll try to update more frequently in the future, but I'll make no promises this time (I just got both the first and second season of True Blood for Christmas- so I'll probably be distracted :D). Anyways, I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday and that you all will have a great new year! As always, I appreciate the continued support, even though I probably don't deserve it! Review/ fav/ alert! I love you all!**

We all went asleep early that night, and by the next night, word of vampires crashing a high school prom had swept across the nation. Eric had the news on when I woke up, and a grainy cell phone video was playing on the screen. The video showed me getting shot, and Eric would press "rewind" every time it ended in order to watch it again. "It is quite entertaining," he said with a snarky grin, "I wish I had been there to see it live."

"Oh, if you want to experience being shot with a silver bullet yourself, I'd be happy to assist," I retorted, sitting stiffly on a chair across from the TV. My back was still sore but at least I wasn't paralyzed. Once the silver had been removed, my body was able to heal just as rapidly as usual.

"Where's Godric?" I asked.

Eric's blue eyes darted away from the TV and he said, "He went out right at twilight. He was going to do some damage control."

A few minutes later, the front door opened, and Godric silently entered. "Juliana," he began quickly, but motioned for me to remain sitting, "You have company."

Following behind Godric was Nan Flanagan, one of the Vampire Rights Activists that was always on the news stations. I had never met her before, but I had heard of her. She walked over to me, and I attempted to stand to greet her out of politeness.

"Please, Juliana, sit," she commanded, and without waiting for me to offer her a seat, sat down on the couch adjacent to me. Her two body guards stood by the door and glared around my house. Godric stood behind my chair and set his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure you realize that this is not a great situation you are in right now. The police are investigating this case and will most likely bring it to court." Obviously, this was not good news. But after 1500 years of living, the idea of going to court was not distressing. I didn't feel like this was a waste of my time, I just felt like this was not something I desired to do.

"What are the possible charges?" I asked with a slight groan.

"Trespassing, disrupting a school function, assaulting multiple minors, assaulting a police officer-"

I interrupted Nan with a raised hand. "That last accusation holds no merit. How were we supposed to know his employment history? We thought he was just security. And besides, I did _not_ assault him. I never even touched him." The news story had said that one of the security guards was a retired police officer, and now that fact was being used against me.

"Ignorance is not an excuse," Nan Flanagan chastised with a wave of her finger. This was so degrading. I was over 1000 older than this woman, and she was telling me about the law- calling _me_ ignorant? I could kill her with a snap of my pinky finger.

I felt myself beginning to fume until Godric pushed his hand into my shoulder, clearly trying to keep me from jumping up and fighting with her. "Any other charges?" I muttered angrily.

Nan paused for a moment before continuing with a sigh, "You are also being charged with second degree murder."

My jaw dropped. "That is ridiculous! We didn't murder anyone."

"The principal had a heart attack and died after your little escapade. The state is pressing charges."

I was shell-shocked. "Just because that 65-year-old human, who probably never took proper care of his most vital organ, happened to die the night Godric and I were in the vicinity is purely coincidence. We could plead no contest and be out of that charge instantly," I huffed, but Nan seemed unconvinced.

"The state may decide to pursue a manslaughter charge instead, in which you are definitely at fault."

My brain was spinning. While I had no worries about going to court to defend myself, I certainty did not want to be a prisoner if this did not work out in my favor. Feeling desperate, I said, "I have been a law-abiding citizen of this state since its founding. Does that hold no merit in court?"

Nan shrugged, as if she didn't really care. "It may, but the prosecutors are itching to pin a vampire with a felony. It's not very often that vampires comply with the justice system."

"Well, obviously. If silver bullets are how the justice system is enforced, then I want no part of it either." I groaned, "This entire situation is ludicrous! They want us to comply with the justice system when they didn't? The news doesn't like to dwell on the fact that they _shot _me. I didn't even do anything threatening! Have you ever been shot, Nan? It isn't pleasant."

Nan folded her long fingers deliberately and raised an eye brow. "Please, call me Ms. Flanagan. And, no, I have not been shot before."

I wanted to shoot her myself; but before I could consider that any more, she continued, "And I think you misunderstand, Juliana. Godric is a Sheriff. We have already discussed this with Chicago PD, and they have granted him a pardon. You are the only one being charged."

There was a loud crack of wood as my clenching fish broke the arm rest of my chair. "_What?_" I screamed.

Nan's guards quickly moved forward, and I shot out of the chair with enough strength to knock Godric backwards. I wasn't trying to act threatening; I was just too infuriated to sit still. Nan Flanagan stood up as well, and made a motion to the guards as if everything were alright. "I'm going to be live in less than an hour in an attempt to convince America that vampires are not interested in feasting off high school students. I want you to stay here and not do _anything _until this entire situation is resolved."

"And if I refuse?"

"The Authority will be involved- and they will not show mercy."

*** Centuries Ago***

Eric managed to sit up again, but he was still grunting every time the silver dug itself into his skin. I was cleaning my nails, waiting. I knew it would take Mae longer to catch Godric than it took me to catch Eric, but I didn't know how long. I was told to stay with the Viking until Mae came to get both of us. I wished she would hurry.

I sighed and looked towards the door again. Eric grew quiet after a while and just watched me. "She's so slow," I said, more to myself than to Eric.

"Getting cold feet?" Eric mocked with a smirk.

"Hardly."

There was another minute of silence until I stood up to look out the window. I was getting tired of waiting. I didn't like being in the same room as Eric and my frustration was growing. The Viking knew how to get under my skin and I hated that.

"You know, Godric was feeling guilty for the past few weeks."

I glanced over at the vampire and said, "Well, he should. He lied to me and then nearly killed my best friend."

"It wasn't all his guilt."

I pulled the curtains over the window and asked, "What are you insinuating, Eric?"

Eric's blue eyes narrowed at me, as if he were trying to see right into my soul. "I'm insinuating that you feel guilty about this as well. Godric said that he thought it was because you had nearly caused the death of your friend, but I can see now that isn't entirely true. You feel guilty right now, don't you? You don't really want Godric and I do die."

"No, I definitely want _you_ to die."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Do you always let others dictate what you do with your life?"

Before I had a chance to answer, Mae swung open the front door and glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on me and she grinned. "I got him! It took awhile but I got him. Grab the blonde giant and let's go. In a few minutes you'll be a free woman."

I tried to return a grin but failed. Mae didn't notice, however, she was already outside. I got off the bed and threw Eric over my shoulder with great difficulty. "Don't kick," I told him, "Or I'll make sure your death is unnecessarily painful."

Eric didn't kick; I suspect the only reason for that was that he knew I was carrying him to Godric. Mae led us to another cottage on the other side of town. It was larger, more luxurious, but we didn't even stay on the ornate first floor for longer than ten seconds. Mae held open a door for me, and nodded her head down a flight of stairs.

The air in the basement was musty and cold. Mae had pushed the owner's belongings to the outer rim of the room, creating the boundary for what looked like an arena. There were two wooden pillars that acted as support for the first floor of the cottage. Godric was bound by silver to one of them. "Tie the Viking to that one," Mae directed me. With no real sense of care, I dropped Eric on the ground and quickly tied him to the other pillar.

Mae pulled out a long, thin silver chain and began to twirl it in her hand. Without saying anything, she flicked it out and whipped Godric across the face. The silver made a terrible hissing noise against his bare skin, and left a bloody streak. Godric grunted in pain, and the force of the whip had turned his head to the side. But with a calm grace unique to Godric, he turned slowly back to look at Mae again.

"Do not bring my progeny into this. Eric has done you no wrong," Godric said in a very clear, conscientious voice. It was clear he was trying very hard to quell his emotions and stay rational.

Mae was exactly the opposite, and her voice wavered with anger as she pointed straight into Godric's face. "I'm going to kill him in front of you, not because he has done me wrong, but because _you _tried to kill me."

"I misused my strength. It was an accident."

Mae rolled her eyes and snapped, "Well, watch as I misuse my strength." Then, she whipped her arm back and slashed the silver against Godric again.

I shivered as the silver stuck Godric harder, and harder. Eric was strangely calm, he seemed to take after Godric in that way, but after the third hit, he turned his head sharply to the side and stared up at me with his big blue eyes. "Have you no heart?" he whispered hatefully to me. Suddenly, I heard the end of the silver chain clatter against the stone floor. Mae spun around and looked at Eric and I.

"What did you say, Viking?" She barked.

I suppose she assumed that Eric was questioning her compassion, when in fact he had been questioning mine. But Eric slowly turned back to face her, and with a glare, said, "You disgust me."

Mae's face contorted into a horrific scowl and she wrenched back her arm to begin beating Eric with the silver. "No!" Godric yelled, lunging forward against his silver restraints, but Mae didn't even appear to have heard him.

I saw the silver whip hurling towards Eric in slow motion. I thought I hated Godric and I knew I hated Eric, but something about this entire situation was making me sick. The pit of my stomach sank deeper and deeper every moment I stood idly by and watched as one wrong after another was committed. I knew if I heard the sound of silver crackling against skin again, I would vomit.

Swiftly, I stood in front of Eric, and threw out my gloved forearm for the silver to strike. The chain struck my arm, and beside the pain of the impact, I was unharmed. It wrapped around my forearm and hand, and I used all my force to snatch it out of Mae's grasp. She was so stunned by my action however, that she didn't even put up a fight.

She was breathing heavily, and after taking a moment to comprehend what had happened Mae asked, "What are you doing, Juliana?"

"I'm ending this," I responded after a dry gulp.

Mae's confusion quickly turned back to anger. Her voice began to rise as she interrogated me. "I thought you said you were fine with this."

"I never said that."

"Well, you said you weren't going to stand in my way." She waved her arms around like a trapped bird flailing its wings. She was clearly furious at how I had betrayed her.

Not to be outdone, I gestured to Godric and Eric and said louder, "I didn't know how watching this would make me feel, Mae."

Mae pointed to the door. "Then don't watch it. Go outside."

"No. You can't tell me what to do."

"Yes I can. Now, Go!" She said with a shove. I tumbled backwards, but quickly regained my balance and charged at her. I tackled her and we hit the stone floor screaming obscenities at each other. We weren't fighting like vampires, we were fighting like children. I had Mae pinned under me, and I was using all my strength to keep her there. Then, Mae grabbed a hold of my hair and pulled me down. I kicked her in the shin and she screamed in pain, before kicking me in the gut, which sent me flying across the room. I gasped for breath, and then stood back up. That's when I saw Mae had a wooden stake in hand.

I froze for a moment, but then my natural instincts took over. Adrenaline swelled in my stomach, and I took a deep breath before clenching my fists; and in that moment, I knew I could kill Mae. Pulling a stake on me? That was something I could never forgive.

Mae finally began to take notice of my feelings because she shook her head and said, "This is not for you, Juliana." Then, she turned towards Godric.

I think I might have wailed something at her, but I don't remember. All I know is one second I was across the basement from Mae, and then next I was punching her in the jaw. Mae almost tumbled over, but returned my attack with several of her own. She kicked me in the ribcage and then elbowed me in the nose. I gasped as blood poured out of my face, and almost lost track of what was happening. Before I knew it Mae had the stake in a tight grip above her head, ready to plunge it into Godric's unprotected chest.

Something inside of me compelled me to take the silver chain I had stolen from Mae and use it. Before Mae had time to stake Godric, I wrapped the silver around her neck and pulled her backwards. The silver crackled against her skin like water on a fire, but I didn't care. She cursed as she groped for the silver with her gloved hands, but I just continued to pull her away from Godric and Eric. "Drop the stake!" I screamed at her, to which she replied with a strangled gargle. "Drop it!" I commanded again, and by the second time I heard the wood hit the floor. Instantly, I dropped my end of the silver chain and pushed Mae away from me. Mae hit the floor with a loud _thud, _and she quickly pulled the silver off her neck and tossed it out of reach. But I could tell she regretted doing that when she saw that I had retrieved the stake and was pointing it directly into her chest.

"Y-you would dare to put silver to me, Juliana? Your own friend?" She spat incredulously, still clutching her neck as if she were afraid I was going to strangle her again.

"You're self-absorbed, self-assertive, and self-righteous," I snapped back. "You're a terrible friend!"

Mae's dark eyes moved between the tip of the stake that was no less than a foot from her face, and my narrowed green eyes. "And you would kill me for that?"

I had to think about that for a moment. My emotions were swirling so rapidly through my mind that I was surprised they hadn't pushed me to insanity. "No, of course not. I would never kill someone I once called a friend." After some self-deliberation, I turned the stake away from Mae as a sign of peace.

I held out my hand in order to help Mae off the ground. "But I think you should leave now. I fear Godric and Eric won't show you the same mercy."

Mae ignored my hand as she stoically got to her feet. "You're making a terrible mistake trusting them."

"I don't trust them," I retorted, feeling my anger slowly begin to surface again, "But I feel that trusting you would be just as tragic a mistake."

The Asian vampire frowned, and for a moment I knew she was sorrowful for more then just her injured pride. "Juliana, I'm you're friend," She nearly begged.

"You were my friend." The sharp words fell out of my mouth with more ease then I had expected.

Mae, however did not seem to take the words as easily as I had dealt them. In an instant her entire aura darkened. "You're going to regret this decision," Mae warned, stepping so close to me I thought she was trying to spit in my eye.

"No, on the contrary, for the first time in a long time, I actually feel proud of myself." I stepped to the side so that she could walk past me towards the door. Mae didn't move. "Go," I demanded, and suddenly a black blur pushed past me.

I knew Mae was gone by the feeling in the air of the basement; without her, there was this sense of freedom, as though someone had opened a window in a locked room. I sighed and dropped the stake to the floor before stepping on it- crushing it into a million slivers.

I was facing Eric, and when I locked eyes with him I couldn't help but feel like Mae had just left me with an enormous mess. Eric was glaring at me with such pure hatred that it made the skin on the back of my neck crawl. When I turned to look at Godric, he seemed much calmer than his Viking progeny. However, Godric knew how to put on a calm exterior, and I knew there was no telling what was really going on inside his head.

Slowly, I moved over to Godric and stood behind him, untying the silver that bound him to the support pillar. I tried to be as gentle as possible, but Mae had clearly put a lot of effort into making sure each chain link caused Godric severe discomfort.

As I pulled back the imbedded silver, it hissed quietly but Godric didn't even flinch. When I had untied him, Godric rose and turned to look at me. I thought for sure that he would attack me right there- hit me, strangle me, kill me- I didn't know what, but I doubted that Godric would leave me unpunished.

But instead of hurting me, Godric simply whispered "Thank you," and then turned to Eric.

I stood aimlessly in the center of the basement while Godric quickly began to free Eric. _What am I going to do now? _I wondered as I looked towards the door. When I looked back towards Godric and Eric, all I saw was Eric vicious stare. Quickly, my gaze returned to the door. _I need to get out of here. Now that Mae is gone, nobody is looking out for me. I need to look out for myself. _

Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted when two large hands wrapped around my neck. I struggled to breathe, but when I opened my eyes I saw Eric. "Eric," Godric warned, "Enough."

"No," Eric hissed back, his face less than three inches from mine. "Not nearly enough. She almost had us killed!"

My hands hopelessly grabbed onto Eric's arms as I tried to loosen his grip. "She saved us. Release her." Godric demanded, but Eric was too slow. I could stand to be strangled for a minute longer, and I swung my legs out from under me to kick Eric right in the knee caps. He instantly released me.

Godric did not seem to mind the fact that I had practically reversed the direction of Eric's knee joints. He simply looked at me and said, "You are free now, you know."

"I know," I replied and looked towards the door once again. It seemed foolish to leave without any semblance of a plan, but now I was starting to think it would be safer to go then to stay here.

"But you are welcome to travel with us, if you choose."

"She is not!" Eric growled, still lying on the ground with a scowl as he waited for his knees to heal.

"Do not allow your prejudices to make you unwise, Eric. We need her if you want to accomplish your mission. Do really believe we can continue on the way we have? A pack of werewolves against just two vampires is dangerous. We would be more successful as trio then we ever could be as a duo if you two could just set aside your differences."

Eric looked frustrated and refused to make eye contact with either of us. "I don't know about this, Godric," Eric said tentatively. "She's not one of us."

"She has proved herself to be a brilliant fighter; I don't know what more you could possibly ask for in a partner."

I began to grow weary of the conversation. It seemed clear that the two were deciding _my _future- and that had been the very reason I had expelled Mae from my life just moments before. "Who's to say I would even desire to join your posse?" I snapped. Both of the vampires turned to look at me, but Godric was the one who spoke.

"There is safety in numbers, Juliana. You are a brilliant fighter, but even the best can be overcome without help.

"As well, it seems clear to me that you also are lacking any sort of life-direction. I thought that it would be beneficial to you if you were to come with us until you decided what to make of your life."

I exhaled slowly. _Godric knows me too well. I hate that. _"Of course," Godric continued quietly, "The choice is still, and always will remain, yours."

My green eyes fell on Eric, who was starting to stand after my brutal attack to his knees. "Well, I suppose if she is an asset…" The Viking mumbled dubiously.

"I will not tolerate any strangulation," I stipulated, throwing a mean look at Eric.

Godric grinned. "I believe we have an arrangement."


	16. Taken

**A/N: Thank you for your understanding, I know waiting for these chapters to come out is kind of a pain! But I have mapped out the rest of the story, so I can tell you, with fairly decent accuracy, that there are only seven chapters left. Be prepared to see a transition from past to present, Godric to Eric, and bad to worse. Thanks for all your continued support! Read/ fav/ alert/ review! **

"The police are getting all their ducks in a row- gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses- the whole nine-yards. They really want to make their case airtight so they can get their first vampire conviction."

Nan was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and her toes pointed. She seemed to be talking to Eric and Godric more than me. I felt like she was the ring leader of our freak-show circus, and I was just the elephant that had to stand on her back legs whenever Nan cracked her whip.

"And who is he?" I asked, breaking the continuity of Nan's ramblings. She paused for a second, as if I had just crossed some line by interrupting her. Then, she turned to this… man.

"This is Robert Buchanan- your attorney."

A tall, slender man with big blue eyes and an even larger smile extended his hand to me. "Pleased to meet you, Julie. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get life in prison; and with any luck, I might even make you look good."

I cocked an eye brow at him and gingerly shook his hand. "Call me Juliana," I demanded. Robert Buchanan made me feel weird. He had a smile that seemed unbelievably superficial. His thick, brown hair was perfectly combed and parted. Everything from his flawlessly pressed suit to his big blue eyes seemed fake- like he wasn't just an attorney; he was some sort of rock star attorney.

"What do you mean make Juliana look good?" Eric cut in. "Shouldn't you be focusing on making her look innocent?"

I was pleased with the interruption, although I seemed to be the only one. Nan shot a glare at Eric and Buchanan's smile dimmed slightly. "Well, of course I'm going to make her look innocent. She is innocent. But we also want to her to help gather public sympathy. While some people would like to see the book thrown at a vampire, there are others who are itching to give vampires a chance. We want to appeal to the latter."

"And this is the perfect opportunity for the AVL to show the world that vampires can be a part of every aspect of a functioning democratic society- including the disciplinary part," Nan added after Robert. I couldn't help but frown.

"So, am I the poster child for disciplining bad vampires, now? Or am I the poster child for vampires being mistreated by the justice system?"

"Both," Robert declared, still with his creepy, perfect smile.

"I'm sorry, but who is paying you? Because contrary to popular belief, not all vampires have money. I probably don't have a hundred dollars to my name- certainly not enough to pay for your… services."

Buchanan grinned at me, but Nan was the one who responded. "The American Vampire League will pay for your legal matters, Juliana. You just need to do exactly what Mr. Buchanan and I say, and you will be more then fine," Nan told me.

I couldn't believe this. My own trial was being taken completely out of my hands. In a matter of seconds, Nan and her greasy lawyer had taken over my life. "Excuse me," I announced and stood up, "I think I'll step outside for some air- if that won't affect my legal matters."

Quickly, I hurried outside and leapt onto the roof. Looking out into the sky, I finally managed to feel a little better. A second later, I heard Godric land beside me, "Are you alright, Juliana?"

"I'm fine," I spat curtly.

Godric grabbed my hand. "Don't lie to me."

I sighed, "I don't like how this is going, Godric. Nan is using me as a pawn in her political scheme for vampire rights, and this lawyer is shady, I can tell. He's too perfect; he's only doing this to get famous."

"I agree."

Slightly surprised, I asked, "You do?"

"Yes. I don't like they way they look at you, especially that lawyer."

"Well-"

Suddenly, I was cut off by the sound of a car rolling down the street. I turned my head towards the noise, and noticed that it wasn't just one car, it was a string of six. Half a dozen police cars rolled to a stop in front of my house and quickly assembled in my front yard. One of them reached my front door and knocked. Before anyone had a chance to answer, he shouted, "This is the police. We are here for the vampire who resides here- Juliana. We have a warrant for her arrest."

I turned to Godric. "I guess it has to get worse before it can get better."

"Juliana, you don't have to go-"

But before he could finish I had leapt off the roof and startled several of the police officers. All of them put their hands on some type of weapon. I cringed and put my hands up. "I'll go peacefully- there's no need for weapons here."

"I'll meet you at the station, Julie!" Rodger shouted from my open front door as the police roughly handcuffed my wrists behind my back. And that's when I realized it was probably going to get a _lot _worse before it got better.

***Centuries Ago***

"If I find one more whore in my bedroom, Eric!" I threatened as I grabbed a half naked human by her wrist and dragged her to the door. She was bleeding from the neck and clearly glamoured into thinking she was alright. When we reached the hallway, she collapsed onto the ground.

Immediately, Godric was next to me. He glanced between me and the unconscious human and asked, "What's the matter?"

"This harlot is the matter! How am I supposed to relax when I keep finding humans in my room? This is Eric's fault… every place we go he manages to ravish absolutely _every _woman- it is disgusting! And that bastard keeps glamouring them to the point of near retardation, and then they just stumble into my room like a bunch of drunk children. It is obnoxious."

Suddenly, Eric had joined us. "I resent that accusation. I do not _ravish_, I _make love_ to every woman… and for that matter, it is not even every woman: only the attractive ones who strike my fancy."

"If you do not keep your damn whores out of my room, I'll strike your fancy so hard- I'll knock you into the next century, _comprende?"_

"_Comprende, puta._" He sneered back at me, before storming back to his bedroom.

"Wait," I called back to him, "What about this one?" I pointed to the human on the ground.

Eric shrugged. "I have another one."

"Ugh," I gagged. When I turned to Godric I saw that he was smirking. "What are you so happy about? Eric is kind of a man-whore."

"He is young; he will grow out of it."

"I'm fairly confident he will never grow out of his promiscuous tendencies. Once a pig, always a pig."

That was pretty much how all of our nights went when we weren't traveling. When Eric heard whispers of where some werewolves lived, we would get there as fast as possible and find the wolves in question. However, sometimes finding the wolves was easier said then done. There were times where we spent nearly a month in one town, just waiting to hear a werewolf howl.

Once Eric found the werewolves, he would kill all of them but one, and then question the lone survivor. Most of the time, the wolves had never seen a vampire before, and were terrified. Those wolves would answer honestly- and the honest answer was that they had never worked for a man who had assassinated the Viking's family. The ones who had seen vampires before were much more difficult. Usually Eric would have to do some sick things to them before they would say anything- and usually that amounted to nothing. After months of traveling across countries, we were still no closer to finding the guilty werewolves, or the man who commanded them.

"How long ago was your family murdered, Eric?" I asked him shortly after joining their group.

He paused for a second, and responded distantly, "A few years."

I turned to Godric. "How long?"

"Seven decades, I believe."

I was shocked. "Eric, those wolves are dead!"

Eric was quiet for a moment but then he sneered, "I don't care. I want them all dead. I want the blood of every wolf who was involved with my family's massacre. I wouldn't care if it was the blood of their great grand children- I will have my revenge."

Eric vehement hatred of werewolves was similar to my intense fear. That was probably the only common interest we had: our disgust in all things werewolf. The difference was that Eric hated werewolves because they had murdered the people he loved. I hated werewolves because Godric had me tortured by them when I was a new vampire. At the time, I'm sure Godric thought hiring werewolves to murder me was a great idea- now, I was pretty sure he thought differently.

The first time the three of us encountered a werewolf was in Finland- not much farther from where Mae and I had attacked the two vampires. We had snuck into this brothel/ werewolf sanctuary, when one of the girls saw us. Immediately she hollered for the others, and suddenly five girls transformed into terrifying beasts and attacked us. I hit one of them with a chair, but she leapt back up to her paws and pounced on me. I managed to kick her off and tear into her jugular before another wolf wrapped her jaw around my leg. A third wolf pounced on my chest. I was just barely able to keep her snapping jaws from mutilating my face. Suddenly, there was a sharp, sick, snapping sound, and I saw Godric toss the wolf who had been dragging me across the floor to the side, spine broken. Then, Godric quickly decapitated the wolf who was on my chest.

My eyes were shut, and I was shaking slightly. When the black spots in front of my eyes vanished, I saw Godric kneeling in front of me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I quickly responded, and tried to stand up, but I was still slightly dizzy. Godric instantly grabbed my hand to assist me. He seemed a little disheartened, as though he had just recognized the true tragedy in something very terrible for the very first time. "I managed to kill one," I reminded him, gesturing to one of the corpses. Then, I quickly stormed off.

Living with Godric and Eric for the second time wasn't much different than the first; I still felt like that awkward third friend who follows around two best friends. The only difference was that, unlike last time, they appeared to think of me more as an ally instead of an enemy. Even though I was fearful of werewolves, I was still a good fighter and I had no qualms about killing any werewolf we encountered. And although Eric clearly did not want me around, he did appreciate my skills- and even thanked me on occasion.

While Godric was still the clear leader of the group, it was also evident that Eric had taken on a more assertive role. For now, it seemed as though whatever Eric thought would get him his vengeance took priority. Eric spent hours talking with Godric about what he remembered from the night his family was murdered. The Viking meticulously recalled every detail, and then planned on what to do to find the werewolves. He figured that the werewolves would eventually lead him to the man who commanded them- and in Eric's mind, that was the man who killed his family.

What Eric remembered most about the werewolves was a brand, almost like what someone would find on cattle or other property. He would draw it sometimes in the dirt, or scrape it into some wood with his fingernail, when he was in deep thought. It looked like a Z with a line drawn though the center. None of us knew what it meant, and none of the werewolves he had encountered had seen it before… until one.

We were in Esthonia when we came across a lone wolf. Eric easily captured him and forced him to transform back into a man on the threat of death. He was a scrawny man who looked at us as if his worst nightmare had just been realized in the form of a giant Viking.

Godric had the werewolf pinned against a tree while his progeny interrogated him. "What do you know?" Eric growled to him. The werewolf was shaking, trying to squirm his way free- but Godric was much stronger. "What do you know?" he repeated, louder the second time. I could see The Viking's knuckles turning white as they tightened into a fist. I was afraid that if Eric struck the werewolf, there would be no more werewolf to question.

"Nothing! Please… nothing," he wheezed.

"Your tribe has no history of killing Vikings?"

"N-no… please… I can't- can't bre-"

The werewolf's dark eyes met mine, and he began to tear up. "Plea- please, stop him," he begged me. I had to look away.

"He doesn't know anything, Eric," I said.

"He _lies_." Eric growled back.

Godric looked at me and said, "Watch the perimeter and make sure more don't attack us." He nodded towards the woods, excusing me, but I ignored him. I wasn't about to take on the role as the weak member of the trio whom the others bossed around. If I was going to be their teammate, I was going to be one through the hard, and the harder times.

Eric questioned him unsuccessfully for a minute, and then showed him the brand.

"I- I know the sign," He stuttered though Godric's choke-hold.

The Viking's voice rose an octave in excitement. "Who? Who has it?"

"I ran into them once… they're terrible people,"

"Where?"

"Lithuania, west country."

Eric turned away from the wolf, and towards me. He seemed to be in his own little world, lost in thought. The vampire's eyes narrowed and he started to walk away. I turned back to Godric and the werewolf with a questioning glance.

"What do you want us to do with the werewolf?" Godric asked before Eric got too far away.

"Snap his neck," Eric responded coldly.

After we had gained that knowledge, it was only a matter of time before we made it to Lithuania and discovered the pack that the wolf had told us about. They were exceedingly larger than what we had expected- easily over two hundred wolves living in one forest. We snuck deep into their territory one night in order to do some surveillance.

There was an obvious leader, and we learned from observation that his name was Richard. He had big broad shoulders, and long thick brown hair. About six other wolves followed him around constantly, and he would periodically order them to do small tasks for him.

Richard was one mean son of a bitch. He had no reservations about beating his own pack members. Once, we watched him drag a mother away from her children and beat her bloody because her son sneezed near him. He had a wolfish smile, and I hated to see him use it.

"I want to kill him," I whispered to Eric. "He's exactly the kind of wolf I hate."

"You and me both," He snarled back at me, and Godric had to hold Eric back from attacking him right then and there.

"We should wait until we develop a plan of action," Godric told him, and motioned for us to return back to our camp in town. But on our way through the forest, we were spotted. A wolf howled near us, and suddenly leapt out of the bushes and bit into Eric's arm. The Viking swung his arm around before the canine lost his grip and tumbled into the dirt. He quickly recuperated, shook some of the dirt off his coat, and tried to leap on Eric again. Thankfully, Godric was able to silence him with a quick severed spinal cord.

We made it back to our residence- the basement of a funeral parlor, the only place we could find that had coffins- otherwise unharmed. Godric and I quickly began to discuss the ramifications of killing a wolf who had seen us. How long until they find the corpse? Will they look for the killers? Will they suspect we're staying in town? As we discussed these issues, I noticed Eric was surprisingly silent.

"Are you feeling alright, Eric?" I asked him. He seemed slightly paler then usual, and had dark pink circles under his eyes as if her were exhausted.

"I'm fine," He responded sharply. "I'm just tired."

"Get some rest," Godric advised, and Eric nodded before disappearing back to his room.

The next night Eric was the last to wake up. He seemed just as fatigued as he had the night prior, except he had not even done anything yet. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Eric. You look kind of terrible."

"Shut up, I'm fine."

"Juliana is right," Godric defended, "Go and rest more. A pack of wolves of their size wont leave over night. We'll go tomorrow night."

But the next night Eric couldn't even get out of his coffin. His condition had deteriorated so rapidly, I was afraid he wouldn't even be alive by the end of the week. By the fourth night he was suffering from the bleeds. And by the fifth night he could hardly drop fang to drink from a human we brought to him. He didn't wake up at all the sixth night. And by the seventh I though he was dead.

"Are you sure he'll recover?" I asked Godric, who nodded.

"I've seen this illness before, once. It's the only blood-borne illness vampires are susceptible to. Eric probably got it from all his… philandering."

I thought the irony was hilarious, but Godric was definitely not in the mood for my anti-Eric humor. So I settled with a sarcastic, "Serves him right, I guess."

"He'll be back to normal in the next two weeks, but right now we really need to protect him- he's in an extremely vulnerable state right now. He is in no condition to defend himself from a pesky rodent, let alone a werewolf."

So we took turns watching the door during the day to Eric's room. It was difficult for me to stay awake since my body's need for rest seemed to override my (very low) desire to keep Eric protected. One day I fell asleep, and the next night Eric had vanished.


	17. Protection

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry I'm terrible at updating on an even semi-regular basis. But thanks for sticking with me. I know its been awhile, but hopefully this very long chapter will make up for it? Maybe? This is sort of the catalyst for Juliana, because there is going to be a fairly significant change in her after this- in both the past and the present. New character too! Haha, I was supposed to be writing an essay on prairie dogs, but I figured this would be more fun. And just to refresh your memory on what happened in the last chapter, in the present Juliana was arrested and in the past Eric was kidnapped. I hope you enjoy this! Fav/Alert/ Review! I really appreciate the support! 3**

When I stepped out of the squad car in handcuffs, I was immediately met with the flashing of what appeared to be a thousand light bulbs. I couldn't discern what was being shouted at me at first, but soon I could make out my name, "vampire", and "killer." If this is what it is like to be famous- or infamous- then I was very grateful I had never been so popular in all my 1700 years of life. This was terrible. I felt the hand of a police officer on my back and upper arm, and he led me through the blinding light to the booking office. Once I was out of the chaos of the cameras, I finally managed to observe my surroundings.

The police station was empty of other civilians, but there were plenty of police officers. A few were standing with their arms crossed across their chests defensively, but most took a more offensive pose with their hands on some type of weapon. Nobody spoke to me; even the air in the room was stale and uninviting. I sighed and moved over to the Sergeant behind the desk.

"Name," he stated, although I was sure he already knew my name.

"Juliana."

He tilted his blue eyes at me when I failed to continue and said staunchly, "Last name."

I paused for a moment and responded, "I suppose I have no last name."

The officer leaned back in his chair and dropped his pencil. "I _suppose _you think you're being witty or something," He said, mocking my word choice. "But if you refuse to cooperate with me, then I'll make sure your stay at Cook County Jail is something you won't soon forget."

"Trust me," I said through gritted teeth, "I'm sure it will be a memorable experience either way."

His voice began to grow louder, "Maybe some time in a cell would make you more willing to cooperate."

Some of the officers began to creep closer to me. I quickly turned to them and forced a grin. "That will not be necessary, sirs," I told the approaching officers, and then turned back to the Sergeant. "Sabbas was my father's name. Put that down as my last name."

"Humph," he grunted and quickly scribbled it down. "Vampires think they can just walk all over the system… killing people for centuries and never getting punished… despicable," He mumbled under his breath. I barely managed to hold my tongue.

After signing that I knew my rights, the fingerprinting, and the mug shot, I was locked in a small, solitary cell with three armed guards across my door. I glanced around the cell and realized how easy it would be for me to escape this room should I get bored. The walls were cinderblock and cement which I could easily break, the bars were not silver, and I was faster than the guards. It was almost ludicrous for them to even imagine a vampire could be restrained with this system.

A few hours later, I was led out of my cell and driven a block down the road to the county court house. I was met with the same barrage of flashing lights and shouting people, but this time I could hear two very distinctive voices. "Juliana will receive a fair trial just like every other American," said Nan Flanagan. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the sound of her voice. Why was she here anyways?

"I'm Robert Buchannan and I'm representing Juliana. No comment," My greasy lawyer would repeat over and over and over again. He loved hearing the sound of his own name. It made me nauseous. Once we were in the court room the judge motioned for us to sit. I could see there was already press sitting in the stands.

Judge Marissa Rivera didn't even look at me as she read, "Juliana Sabbas, you are being charged with trespassing, disrupting a school function, assaulting a police officer, three other cases of assaulting minors, and second degree murder. Do you understand these charges?"

"Yes."

She glanced up from her notes and looked at Buchannan. "I see you have a lawyer, but if at anytime you need another, one will be appointed to represent you. You are allowed to have a lawyer with you at the time of any questioning to consult you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yes."

"At this time I deny you bail, since the court considers you a flight risk… both figuratively and literally. I schedule the preliminary hearing for tomorrow evening at 8. Good night," she said, and slammed her gavel.

Back at the jail, I was alone for only about an hour before I heard another familiar voice: "I understand visiting hours are only 10 AM to 4PM, but I cannot physically be here at those times of the day. I'm sure if you talk to Ms. Flanagan, you will understand."

"Now, listen here. I'm tired of vampires thinking they can just walk all over-" suddenly, the Sergeant became very quiet, and mumbled, "Of course, I understand. We respect vampires' limitations. You may enter."

I heard the gates open, and the three guards watching my cell door turned as Godric walked passed them. "Juliana," he greeted me with a weary grin.

"Godric," I smiled back at him. "Are you insane coming here and glamouring police?" I quickly began in Estonian, knowing none of the police would be able to understand.

Godric laughed lightly, "I guess so; I had to see you, and it could not wait until tomorrow night." My fingers were laced around the bars of the cell and he put his hands on mine.

"What is it? Nothing is wrong, I hope?" I asked eagerly.

"You're in jail! Everything is wrong." Godric groaned. "Juliana, I am so sorry I got you into this mess. I honestly wish that this had never happened. I should have never come to visit you."

"No. Do not say that. I am so glad you visited me. Being with you has been the most fun I've had in a long time… well, except for this." I said with a smile, but I could tell I wasn't about to change Godric's mind. He was stubborn, and he already felt guilty, so I knew there was little I could do to fix that.

"You are so beautiful," he said sadly, "and I am so sorry."

I began to realize that this was more than me just being in jail. "Why are you really here, Godric?" I asked, a slight edge to my voice. I knew something wasn't right.

The vampire shifted a little bit before admitting, "I have to leave."

"Leave… leave for Texas?"

Godric nodded. "Nan doesn't want me to stay in Chicago any longer. She doesn't want me to tarnish my name, since I am a Sherriff and represent the vampire hierarchy. Nan is afraid if I stay, people will start to investigate my involvement and learn more about our system. She's just protecting the-"

"Authority," I finished for him, my voice hard. I pulled my hands away form his and crossed my arms. "You're just going to go then, and leave me to deal with this _alone_?"

"I'm sorry, Juliana. But this is how it must be…" But even Godric looked like he didn't believe that. I knew he was trapped between a rock and a hard place- the rock being me and the hard place being Nan- but I couldn't help myself from feeling angry and hurt. For the first time in a long time, I had learned to trust Godric again, and now he was breaking that trust… again.

"You're being a coward," I retorted. "You are fleeing while I have to live with the consequences. While you get to continue your life, I'm stuck defending mine from a cell with some slimy lawyer and controlling Nan. I cannot believe this!"

"I am so sorry, Juliana, truly I am." Godric looked longingly at me, as if he wanted me to give him a kiss before he left. But when I didn't move, he bowed slightly and quickly hurried out of the jail. And then I was alone again.

***Centuries Ago***

"Eric? _Eric!" _I screeched, and then quickly covered my mouth. Eric was gone, in fact, his entire coffin was missing. There were scratches on the wood floor where the coffin was clearly dragged out of the room while I slept.

"Eric? If this is a joke, this is _not _funny," I whispered around the dark, empty room. I doubted, however, that this was a joke. The last time I had seen Eric, he was so weak he was hardly able to speak five words to me (which were: "This is Hell- go away"). It was hard to imagine Eric recovering so rapidly during the day that he was able to drag his coffin out of the room.

The marks from the coffin continued up the stairs, and some of the steps were even broken. I couldn't help but wonder how I managed to sleep through what must have been a very loud abduction. Track marks ended in the foyer of the funeral parlor where I suspected that the coffin had been put on a gurney of some kind and taken outside. "No, no, no no!" I groaned and began to search outside for the Viking. If Godric found out that I had lost Eric,.. well, I doubted that was a conversation that was going to go over well.

I stopped the first countryman I saw and made him look me in the eyes. "Tell me how many coffins you've seen leave the funeral parlor today," I demanded in Lithuanian. The man, unable to resist, quickly stammered, "Just one."

"Which direction did it travel?"

He pointed north and I quickly began in that direction.

The town limits ended after a few kilometers, and there was only one set of tracks that continued into the forest. The tracks abruptly ended and I saw the discarded gurney behind a small bush. "Damn it!" I hissed and ran a hand nervously through my hair. I knew I had to tell Godric, but I didn't know exactly _how _to tell Godric.

"Juliana?" I nearly screamed at the sound of Godric voice, and I definitely jumped. When I turned around to see him, his dark eyes were wide. "Where is Eric? I woke up and saw that you two were missing. And I saw the tracks and…"

I think he knew by the look on my face that we had a huge problem on our hands. His eyes quickly darted to the gurney and he began to curse in several different languages.

"I am so sorry, Godric. I don't know what happened- he just vanished. I followed the tracks here but-"

It was obvious Godric wasn't listening to me. He closed his eyes, and after a moment of contemplation, darted off into the wilderness. I tried to keep up with Godric, but he was much faster than me. He paused at the base of a small mountain. "Here," he quickly told me. But before I even had a chance to catch my breath, we were off again. We circled the mountain once, and ended up at the same spot. When Godric stopped for the second time, he paused for longer as he tried to call Eric again. He threw me a worried expression before he started to run around the mountain's base again… and then again. By the third time, Godric stopped and began to pace angrily. "Damn. Damn!" He shouted in desperate frustration. "I know he's here! I know he's here!"

I couldn't do anything but stare at Godric. I was unable to remember a time I had seen Godric so furious; and I couldn't help but worry that his anger was directed at me.

"I- I know he's here somewhere!" Godric stammered, his voice wavering slightly with emotion. He kept pausing and shutting his eyes, trying to channel Eric's energy. Without warning, Godric swung around and punched a tree, causing it to topple over with a loud _crack_. "Damn it," Godric cursed, this time because of the wooden splinters piercing his fist. "I-I shouldn't have…"

Godric stopped talking, and turned away from me. I thought he might be trying to find Eric again, but then I realized he was just hiding his facial expressions from me. "Godric, this isn't your fault. It's mine." Bravely, I walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "I'm really, really sorry."

He refused to look at me, and that scared me the most. "Godric, please…"

When he still wouldn't talk to me, I tried to pull my hand out from his, but he quickly tightened his grip. "No, Juliana. It's- it's not your fault. I don't blame you." He turned back to me, and I could see his eyes were red, as if he were fighting to hold back tears.

"But I fell asleep."

Godric turned his head to the side in disappointment. "So did I, and I didn't wake up either. It's just… I don't know what I would do if I lost either of you."

I squeezed his hand and tried to get him too look back at me by moving into his field of vision. "You won't loose Eric. I'll help you find him before anything happens, I promise."

Godric didn't look convinced and he let out a long sigh.

Glancing around the area, I asked, "So, Eric is obviously around here. You can feel him, right?"

The vampire bit his lip anxiously and admitted, "Yes, but, he's just so weak. All I can get is this vague haze of him. It's coming from around here, but I just can't pinpoint it."

Now I was worried too. "That doesn't mean he's dying, does it?"

Godric shrugged. "It could, but I don't think that's the case. Eric might be relaxed, he could be asleep, or he simply isn't afraid of his captors. But I think the reason he's so hard to read is because he's so ill. It is much easier to find either of you when you're feeling a lot of emotion- it doesn't really matter what kind of emotion. But Eric is too numb to feel much of anything, so I can't find him."

Godric sighed again and released my hand. He was staring around aimlessly, and for once I actually felt that something was missing inside of Godric. He seemed… lost. All his determination and willpower seemed to have vanished with Eric- it was astounding. For a moment I selfishly wondered if Eric had noticed the same change in Godric when I left. But then I had a guilty realization that this was no time for jealous musings. Eric was missing and Godric was losing faith. I needed to help him find it.

"We keep running around this mountain. Eric is definitely not anywhere on or around it… Perhaps he's inside of it?"

For an instant Godric seemed unconvinced, but then it was as though a light was turned on somewhere behind his dark eyes. "A cave?"

"Maybe."

"I'll check the north end, and you check the south," Godric dictated, before darting off. I began to scour the face of the mountain, looking for any dark, hidden entrances covered by bush. It was only a few minutes later before Godric darted back over to me and said excitedly, "I found it- and you won't believe how well it's hidden."

He took me back to the north side of the mountain, where Godric had pushed an enormous slab of rock away from the side of the mountain. "How could a human move this?" I wondered.

"Either there's several humans or one non-human."

I raised an eyebrow at the possibility, but Godric was less interested in how a several-hundred pound rock could be covering the entrance of a cave and more intent on finding Eric. We began to hurry down the cave, and soon it became obvious that we weren't in a natural cave, it was clearly altered. We instantly came to a forked point and Godric scowled. "What kind of cave is this?" he snapped.

"It's a maze. Whoever is hiding Eric really doesn't want us to find him."

The vampire turned and grinned at me. "We are both several hundred years old. A maze should be no problem for us."

"Why don't you take one tunnel, and I'll take the other?"

Godric nodded and chose the tunnel farthest to the left, I chose the one second to the right. The cave was dark and moist. I couldn't smell Eric or anyone else in the cave, so every time I had to choose which direction to head, I would just base my choice off which looked less confusing. After a few minutes I shouted for Godric but he didn't respond. That's when I figured we had really underestimated whom we were dealing with.

Several hours past and I still felt no closer to… well, anywhere. Every tunnel looked exactly like the last. I couldn't remember if I was passing the same rock again, or if there were just very similar rocks everywhere. Eventually, I started scratching lines into the rock walls while I ran so I would remember where I had been. That was when I noticed I was going in circles. Frustrated, I tried to find away to get out of my circle, and found it exceedingly difficult.

More time passed. It felt like an entire night. "Godric!" I screamed, and my voice reverberated off the walls and onto deaf ears. I knew I was lost, and I could bet Godric knew I was lost too from how aggravated I was feeling. But the fact he hadn't found me only proved to me that he was just as lost.

It felt like morning, and my body was begging me to rest. I had stopped running a long time ago, and stopped scratching the wall. After awhile, I just sat down.

It wasn't long after that when Godric darted over to me. He skidded to a stop in front of me, and let out a long relieved sigh. "Found you,"

"Good, because I was beyond lost."

"Me too. I stopped looking for Eric hours ago. This cave is a nightmare. We need to stick together."

"I agree."

We ran for awhile with Godric leading, but soon his frustration began to surface. I told him I would lead for awhile but that did not get us anywhere discernable. Every once in awhile Godric would try to locate Eric again, but his instincts never got us anywhere either. We were hopelessly lost.

Blood began to drip from my nose. Godric stopped moving and I noticed that his ears were bleeding as well. "We need to rest."

"We can't rest until we find Eric."

So we continued more. In fact, we continued for what felt like three days. We were both exhausted, starving, and miserable. Suddenly, I felt my mouth water.

"Do you smell that?" I whispered to him. Of course Godric did, I wouldn't expect anything less from him. The vampire jumped off the ground with surprising agility considering his condition.

"Why would there be a fresh human corpse in here?" he asked quickly. "Eric's state hasn't changed- he didn't kill anyone."

"Maybe someone killed a human for Eric," I offered, and Godric threw me a hopeful but quizzical look.

"They want to keep him alive? For what purpose?"

I shrugged, too tired to continue thinking about this. The only answer I could think of was the same reason Lucius had used for keeping me alive so many centuries ago- blood. I shuddered, not desiring to think about werewolves or the like anymore, and said, "We should follow the scent, or at least try to."

Godric didn't even wait for me to stand, and had already started down the dark tunnel in pursuit of the addicting smell of blood. The sensation of smelling that corpse had given us a new life, and even I felt a little bit better about being lost in the labyrinth. But after a few minutes of fruitless wandering, Godric began to get frustrated. "This is hopeless. We can smell the human, but if we can't get to the source then there isn't a point in searching."

We paused momentarily while Godric rubbed his temples. Dried blood created lines down his neck from his ears and across his face from his eyes and nose. His short brown hair was lighter with dirt from the tunnel. His skin was grayer than usual, which made him look ill. He looked horrifying, and I was sure I didn't fare much better.

Suddenly, the scent of the human was stronger than ever before, and then I could feel my mouth salivating. I was so thirsty, and I had a feeling that my only hope of food was less than a few feet away. I quickly turned away from Godric, mad with thirst, and darted down one length of the tunnel. No human. I ran past Godric to the other end and still felt no closer to the corpse. When I returned to Godric he just shook his head. I could still feel its presence and I refused to give up like Godric. In a moment of frustrated furry, I punched the side of the tunnel. The rock exploded in a mess of dirt and rubble in a way I would not have expected- and revealed a small cavern. A long black coffin sat in the center of the room- and I recognized it instantly.

"Eric!" Godric shouted in surprise, and dashed into the room. I followed quickly after, and instantly locked eyes on my prize- the fresh corpse of a young Lithuanian peasant. Practically crying in joy, I dove on top of it and tore into his jugular. The lukewarm blood flowed into my mouth and I savored every drop. I was almost too overwhelmed to notice a figure move along the wall in my peripheral vision. I saw the flash of a stake, and it took all my willpower to leave the corpse and leap after the attacker. I grabbed the stake first, threw it to the side and then wrapped my hands around the neck of a small girl.

A little girl? I couldn't help but be surprised. She appeared to be just thirteen, hardly a decade old. What was she doing with a sick vampire in the middle of a cavern? I was so confused, but all I wanted to do was feast and leave this horrible maze. I was about to snap her neck and drink when I heard, "No!"

Without releasing the girl, I turned my head to see Eric sitting upright in his coffin. He was using one of his arms to hold himself up, but that was still a major improvement since the last time I had seen him. He showed no signs of the bleeds, and looked entirely well rested- albeit a little hungry. He certainly looked better than Godric and I. "She is mine," He stated firmly. I couldn't help but feel my jaw go slack with shock.

"What?" I snapped, more sharply than I had anticipated. "She's holding you captive and you don't want to me to kill her?"

"She. Is. Mine." He growled. At that moment, I didn't care. All I could think about was blood and the scent of that corpse was almost too much for me to handle. Godric appeared behind me and grabbed the human, and I quickly returned to the corpse.

"She has the markings..." I heard Eric mumble in Swedish. I turned away from the bloody neck of the peasant to see. It was true, the scar Eric had been searching for was clearly visible on her neck.

"She's a wolf?" I groaned in disbelief. Eric was claiming a wolf- the wolf who had kidnapped him in the middle of the day while he was too sick to move? This was getting ridiculous.

Godric was holding her arm tightly and she seemed reluctantly afraid to pull away. "Can she lead us out of this Hell?" Godric asked Eric.

"I would assume so. She only speaks Lithuanian."

"We will not harm you," Godric began in her native tongue and to which I snorted in disbelief. After throwing me a look, Godric continued, "We need you to lead us out of here." She nodded, and he cautiously released her. Godric then turned to me and stated sternly, "Leave the body; we can feast later. Carry Eric."

I groaned and slid over to the Viking who threw me a smirk. "Don't shake my coffin," he said in his typical snarky-Eric tone. Roughly, I pushed him down and slammed the lid. Then, I began the difficult task of carrying his enormous coffin above my head, since that was the only way I could even hope to carry it.

The girl bent down, and transformed into a wolf shamelessly. My breath was caught in my throat for a moment, but then I overcame any uncertainties and followed Godric and the girl through the maze. I was shocked by how quickly she maneuvered through it, as if she had lived her entire life in these tunnels and knew every twist and turn. I had assumed it would take us at least an hour to get out, but she had us out in less than a quarter of that time.

When we had reached the entrance of the cave, Godric threw me a look of shock.

That was not the only thing that surprised me: how heavy the vampire Viking was also astounded me. I didn't know if his weight was a challenge for me because I was weak with hunger, or if it was always this difficult to carry a coffin with a vampire in it. But nevertheless, I couldn't fathom how this little werewolf girl had manage to hulk Eric out of the funeral home, across the village, through the woods, and around the cavern. It seemed impossible.

Through the forest I dragged Eric's coffin, aiming for every bump and knot in the ground that I could find so that his trip would be just as miserable as Godric and I. When we reached the village I grabbed the gurney that had been discarded in the bush and tossed Eric's coffin on top of that. It only was a little trek across the village after that to get back to our current residence.

Once we were back in the funeral home, I dropped Eric coffin to the ground with a loud _thud _and threw open the lid. Eric sat up sorely and began to mumbles something along the lines of "awful whore." I sat down next to him and looked over to the wolf girl.

"Katarina, transform," Eric commanded, and to which she complied. Naked and clearly uncomfortable, she sat shivering in the corner. Godric, although tired and hungry, seemed to take a more compassionate stance than I had. He tossed her a filthy blanket and said, "I'm sure Juliana will let you borrow something later."

"No she won't," I spat back. Godric narrowed his eyes at me.

"We are all tired and frustrated, Juliana. Do not let your attitude make it worse for you- and me."

Eric snickered and I turned to him and retorted, "You can laugh all you want, but without _me _you would still be stuck in a cave."

"It is because of _you _I was taken in the first place. But I'll forgive you only because I found exactly what I was looking for." His blue eyes turned to the girl who was still sitting silently alone. It occurred to me that we hadn't even heard her speak yet this entire time.

"Does she talk?"

"Yes; but you're scaring her. You did try to snap her neck. Also, you look terrible. I'm afraid of you too."

"As well you should be."

Eric turned back to the girl and said gently but sternly, "Tell them everything, Katarina. They will not harm you."

She seemed nervous, but after taking a deep breath she began, "My name is Katarina Rosmanskas; and I need protection."


	18. Katarina

**AN: These chapters are getting longer and longer, sorry about that. I try to keep them at/around 3000 words, but that hasn't been happening recently. I know where this story is going so it's hard to keep the word count down. Juliana isn't perfect, and being around her greatest fear is going to bring out the worst in her. Personally, I feel bad for her since I find it hard to blame her for having posttraumatic stress about werewolves and consequently hating them. But I digress. Read. Enjoy. Fav/Alert/ and especially review! I love reviews! Thanks, and have a good spring break. **

It was terrible trying to fall asleep that night. All I could think of was Godric's face on the other side of my cell bars. Why was he free to leave while I was stuck here? The entire situation was unfair, but I knew it wasn't Godric fault. However, that didn't make me any less angry with him.

I never had more than three hours of consecutive sleep, either because I was unable to fall asleep or because the guards kept waking me up during the day to give me True Bloods. I kindly told them I wasn't thirsty, but once I saw them all exchange nervous looks, I tried to down some of the synthetic supplement.

At 8 PM I was dragged back to the court house for the preliminary hearing. Robert Buchanan did nothing to shield me from the flashbulbs, and I was pretty sure he was slowing down for them. I entered the court house a good three minutes before him. "You really like the attention, don't you?" I asked him snidely. He didn't seem to care.

"Of course I do, and as should you. We're going to be famous."

"I don't want to be famous, I want to be innocent," I told him in all seriousness.

"Well, we'll see about that."

Judge Riviera had the prosecution begin, and they immediately handed her a file of witnesses who were willing to testify against me. The state even had doctors lined up to testify that it was my involvement that had frightened the principal, causing his fatal heart attack. They described the cell phone video tape they had of me getting shot, and explained that alone was enough probable cause. I could tell the Judge agreed, but Robert Buchannan still made his case as well as he could. Unfortunately, without an alibi of any kind, it was a lost cause.

"Would the prosecution like to offer a plea bargain at this time?" The judge asked.

"At this time, the state of Illinois would offer Ms. Sabbas 50 years in prison with parole at 20 in exchange for pleading guilty to all crimes."

It seemed like every eye in the courtroom was on me- as if they were all sizing me up. I cringed a little at the attention, but then turned to Buchannan and whispered, "I don't think that's a terrible deal. Twenty years is nothing for a vampire."

Buchanan quickly whispered back, "We'll have to consult Ms. Flanagan before taking any plea bargains."

I frowned, "Nan should have no say in this matter."

"She has a say as long as she is writing the check."

I rolled my eyes and slid down in my chair. We left the courthouse a few minutes later. Judge Marissa Riviera had set our trail for August 5th, three months from now. I knew that it could be pushed forward are back depending on Buchanan and the prosecution. If it were up to me, I'd rather it be tomorrow. I wanted this nightmare to be over.

The next night, Robert paid me a visit for a very long, very irritating meeting.

"How are you doing tonight, Juliana?" He asked me. I was suffering from the bleeds and I hadn't bathed in three nights.

"Not very good, Rob. I'm in jail."

He didn't seem to hear me. Robert began pulling out his files and running me through what he had been planning during the day. Surprisingly, it wasn't about collecting evidence or witnesses to defend me. "I think if we set up interviews with the following reporters, we might be able to gather enough public support for you plight."

I raised my eye brows. "Public support? Public support is not going to help me in the courthouse."

"Well, Ms. Flanagan made it very clear that the American Vampire League wants you placed in as positive of a light as possible over the next few months."

"Next few months? Mr. Buchanan, that simply is not going to do. We need to hurry this trial up. I don't want to be stuck in jail forever."

"Sorry I'm late," Nan said as she strutted into the meeting room at the jail. "I had to pick myself up some blood- TrueBlood of course."

"That's perfectly alright," Robert said, ruffling his papers, "I was just going over the list of reporters with Juliana. She seemed very interested in meeting with them."

What planet was this man on? "Actually," I interrupted through gritted teeth, "I'm not very interested in meeting with reporters. In fact, I refuse to meet with_ any_ reporters. If anything, I think we should be meeting with the prosecution to get that plea bargain. And even if we don't except the plea bargain, I want this trial to happen as soon as possible. Furthermore, I think we should be gathering evidence to prove that I didn't kill anyone- the heart attack was natural. And that I did not attack any kids, I was defending myself."

"Of course we are going to do that, Juliana, all in due time." Nan said in her fake-concern voice. She turned to Buchannan and began saying, "We are definitely not taking that plea bargain though. But we need to schedule that meeting with the DEA and Riviera to push back this trail to December. I think we can definitely milk this trail for the rest of the year."

"Excuse me, but this is not your decision. It is mine." I hissed. Nan threw me a cold stare.

"It is not your decision, because I know best. I've been in the public eye more than you have in your entire life. I know how to get the support the AVL needs to get more power."

My jaw dropped, and suddenly everything was sickeningly clear to me. Nan and I would never get along because we were approaching this trial from two entirely different angles. "This case is not about the AVL; this case is about me," I corrected her.

Nan narrowed her eyes at me. "You are being selfish and childish. Think about our race."

For the first time in a very long time, I acted impulsively. I shot out from my chair and pushed Nan against the wall before I had time to think about what I was doing. She tried to push me back, but I was much stronger than her. In a flash, I had her arms contorted around her back painfully, and had her face pressed against the cold cell door. I could see her security and my guards rush to the door but I forced it closed. Buchannan screamed, and I snapped, "Shut up, human. I'm not going to hurt you." Then I said to Nan, "You have no right to call me childish. I was a thirteen hundred years old when your grandparents were born. And I am not selfish; I am proving to everyone that humans and vampires can both coexist and be punished with equality. If I were selfish, I would have left a long time ago like Godric." The thought of Godric made me more angry, and I leaned harder on Nan's writhing frame. "If anyone's being selfish here it is you- you and your stupid publicity. I don't care about the AVL and I don't care about your public image. This may be a promotion for you, but this is _my life_ and I will not allow you to meddle in it any more. You are fired."

I dropped Nan and took a step back. She didn't fall to the ground, but she definitely had to support herself on the door. "You can't fire me, I am funding you."

"I'll let the state fund me if need be."

"You're a stupid bitch, and you're going to regret this."

"No, I don't think I will," I said coldly, but then quickly I reached my right fist out and struck Nan across the face. She immediately tumbled to the floor with blood pouring from her mouth. All the guards swarmed the room and I was quickly handcuffed again. "I hope that clears up before your next interview," I said with malicious grin before I was whisked back to my cell.

The following night I was not expecting any visitors, when suddenly Mr. Buchanan came to talk to me in the conference area. This time I was handcuffed and chained to the chair. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "I can't afford to pay you."

"I'll represent you for free. This case it too important for me not continue because of finances."

"Fine, as long as we do things my way."

"As you wish," He said, and actually began to pull out names of doctors who would be willing to testify that the heart attack was caused by bad health and not by me. For a moment I actually thought Mr. Buchanan was doing something right- when suddenly he looked me up and down and said, "You know, you must have been very pretty as a human."

I was caught slightly off guard and quickly said, "Thank you. But about those doctors… I think-"

His voice lowered, "Did becoming a vampire make you automatically more beautiful, or was it just you?"

I sighed and said sternly, "Now, Mr. Buchanan I think we should focus more on-"

Suddenly, I felt his foot graze my leg. I raised my eye brows at him and tried to scoot my chair back to get away from him.

"You're going to want to move your leg," I sneered, but Buchannan was clearly thinking about other things.

"I've never been with a vampire before," he whispered to me.

"Alright, this has gone far enough," I snapped, flashing my fangs at him. I threw out my feet, and instead of playing footsies back with him, I kicked over his chair. Then I stood up, snapped the weak steel chains that bound me, and flew across the table at him. With my hands around his neck I hissed, "You are perhaps the most disgusting excuse for human being I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. I am ashamed to have ever been apart of the same race as you. Any business we have is through. If I see your face on TV discussing me ever again, or if I ever hear about you trying to exchange sexual relations with one of your clients again, I will personally find you and rip your throat out. Do you understand?"

I suspected that the gargled response I received from him was a yes, and so I released him just before the guards entered. That was when I noticed that I had scared Mr. Buchanan so bad, that he had wet himself. I considered that a mission accomplished.

***Centuries Ago***

Katarina shifted a little under her blanket, but continued with her eyes downturned, "You may recognize my name from my uncle- Richard Rosmanskas. He is the alpha of our pack."

Eric, Godric, and I all exchanged glances. We all remembered Richard from our reconnaissance before Eric got sick. "Why did you take Eric? And how did you know we were here?" Godric asked.

"My- my uncle is a very powerful man. He likes to use his power to crush others into submission. He despises any deviance from the pack-"

"Like you," I interrupted.

Katarina turned to me. "I was always a loyal member of the pack. But my brother wasn't. Last summer he met this peasant girl, a human, and ran off with her. He abandoned his family and left us to suffer the consequences of being related to a traitor." She was shaking with anger, and that was when I knew this wasn't a lie- this was her life.

"My Uncle believes that if there was even one traitor in a family, then the entire family is traitors. He had my mother, my sisters, and I tortured for a week straight. It was horrible. Then I was released. I thought it must have been some kind of miracle, but it wasn't. Richard said if I wanted to get my family back into his good graces, I would need to kill my brother. Richard knew where my brother was hiding, and sent me and two of his henchmen out to kill him."

Katarina's voice begin to waver, and see used the end of the blanket to wipe some tears off her cheeks. "I-I couldn't do it. My brother, I loved him so much. I just couldn't do it. I let him escape, and managed to kill one of Richard's cronies. I ran to the old caves- they were built by our pack several generations ago as protection for our home since no humans could navigate them, but we stopped using them when our numbers got too large. I had played in those caves my entire life, and I know them perfectly. The other children never could memorize them like I had. I knew I would be safe there, but after living alone for so long- thinking about what must have happened to my mother and sisters- it became too much for me to handle. I needed to be free, but I couldn't do that without protection.

"Any of the wolves in the Rosmanskas pack are ordered to kill me or my brother on sight- and there are hundreds of us. I can't hardly be seen in public without someone recognizing me. I needed protection if I wanted to survive.

"I managed to sneak back into our camp under the cover of darkness and stole some vampire blood from our storage. Richard has all the guards on vampire blood in order to keep them alert and strong enough to suppress the rest of the pack."

"How did you know we were here? Do the other wolves know?"

Katarina shook her head at Godric's question. "I don't think they do. I saw you three attack and kill that guard the night I stole the vampire blood. I knew you three would be able to help me, so I followed you here and then came back a week later to take one of you."

"Why did you not just ask us for protection?" Godric asked. Katarina looked scared.

"I was afraid. I thought that the only way I could get you on my side is if I forced one of you to listen to my story. I am sorry." Katarina turned to lock her brown eyes with mine. "I wanted to take you; I thought you would be the most understanding. But Eric was already in a coffin so I just took him instead."

Eric began to howl with laughter. I turned to look at him and hissed, "Shut up."

"She thought you would be the most understanding! What a joke!"

"You hate them too, do not forget that," I said back to him in Spanish, so the wolf wouldn't understand.

"I know, but this is just too much…"

When Eric finally stopped snickering I said, "Well, what are we going to do now? It's almost daytime and I am defiantly not sleeping in the same room with a wolf."

"She's safe," Eric said, "She had a several days to kill me and she didn't. She's telling the truth. All she wants is our help."

"I don't trust her."

"You don't trust any wolves," Godric interjected. "It's time we started."

I grunted and crawled into my coffin. The next night Godric sent me out to find a human for us to feast upon. It was not a difficult task- I easily found a townsperson to glamour back to our temporary home. Once back in the company of my comrades, I killed the human and began to drink from him. I heard this weak sigh, and for a moment I thought it came from my victim; but when I looked up, I noticed Katarina was sitting only a few feet away from me. Her knees were tucked in below her chin and she was staring down at her bare feet with a look of somber understanding. I could tell by the way she averted her eyes that she wasn't afraid of murder or death, but it saddened her- almost as if watching me caused her to loose some of her faith in humanity. I quickly looked away from the young wolfgirl and continued feeding until Godric took the human from me. Once the human had been passed to Eric and we had all had our fill, Eric announced, "I want to continue spying on the wolf tribe. We need to continue watching them before we can attack."

Katarina's big brown eyes darted over to Eric in fear, and although he understood what she was afraid of, it was clear he didn't care. "Yes, you have to come Katarina."

"I thought you were going to protect me! If they see me anywhere near the camp- the others will kill me."

"They won't see you, you'll be safe. Let's go."

It was a tense trip into the forest. Eric was focused intensely on observing the wolves so he could learn everything about them before he made his move to capture Richard. Godric couldn't take his eyes of Eric, as though Eric would suddenly double over in sickness again since it was so soon after his recovery. Katarina was shaking like a leaf in terror, and I wasn't doing much better. It wasn't so much that we were spying on the werewolves, but more that we had actually adopted one for ourselves. It seemed unfathomable to me, since none of us liked the species. I tried to hide my anxieties about Katarina, since it was evident that Godric and Eric didn't share them.

We leapt up into a tree to watch the action in the camp. There were guards that patrolled the outer corners of the camp, checking for intruders and making sure that nobody left. Some guard wolves walked through the camp, and it was tragic watching how the other wolves would cower away from them. They all had tasks to do- cleaning, cooking, watching the children, cutting down wood, hunting animals- but it seemed as though any of those jobs could be interrupted by a high ranking wolf in a bad mood. We watched a woman get beaten for not washing clothes properly, and a child was smacked for looking too dirty. I know some people would consider me cold-hearted, but even I couldn't imagine being a guard in the Rosmanskas pack.

"It is so sad," Katarina whispered as she cringed during a beating, "they are like sheep."

She was right. They were all sheep, and Richard was the cruel sheppard.

We returned to the funeral parlor unnoticed by the pack, and soon we all departed to sleep.

_I was in the center of a forest, and I had no idea how I got there. It seemed like a peculiar place to be, and instantly I was nervous. There was really no need to be worried, but almost instantly upon realizing where I was, did an ominous feeling swell in the pit of my stomach. _

_ I predicted what would happen before anything did happen. A growl, I knew, would come next. I just didn't know from where. When I heard it, I knew it was from behind me. It sounded far off, and I wondered whom it was. Katarina? One of King Russell's wolves? Lucius?_

_ When I finally turned around, I screamed at how close the beast was to me. He was directly behind me- so close, I could practically feel his unnatural warmth heating me. It was Cassius, with his skull intact. His fangs were already bared, and he let out a deep, guttural snarl. Then he pounced on me. I felt my head hit the ground hard and his warm paws on my arms. I was screaming and thrashing, trying to get him off of me, before he could attack me, but I wasn't strong enough. _

_ I watched as the werewolf's snarl curved up into an evil smile, and then his face contorted back into that of a man's. "Why so afraid?" he hissed into my ear. "Did my son frighten you?"_

_ I happened to glance past Cassius and saw Lucius, the wolf whom Godric had hired to torture me so many centuries ago._

_ "You're dead!" I cried, thrashing beneath him._

_ "No, little vampire. You're dead."_

"Juliana!"

Suddenly I was snapped back into reality. Gasping for breath, I tried to sit up only to realize that Godric was forcing me down.

"What are you doing? Get off of me!" I cried, and pushed away. Finally, I was able to catch my breath. Somehow I was sweating and my head was throbbing with a terrible migraine.

When I finally looked around the room, I saw everyone was watching me- Katarina the wolf included. I groaned and held my hand to my forehead.

"You were screaming, Juliana. You were having a nightmare," Godric said, his hand still on my back.

"I was not," I hissed, pushing his arm away from me.

"You definitely were," Katarina interjected.

"Shut up!" I snapped back at her. "I don't care to know what you think."

"Juliana!" Godric murmured in Spanish, which had quickly developed into the language we would use when we didn't want Katarina to know what we were saying, "The wolf has done nothing to you- and she speaks the truth. What is the problem?"

"There is no problem, I'm fine."

"You lie."

"That is of no concern to you," I retorted and stood up wearily. "I'm going to freshen up."

But Godric would not be put off so easily. He cornered me later that night and began questioning me again. "What was your dream about?"

"It was just a dream," I mumbled evasively, as if the question didn't really matter. But when Godric grabbed my arm, I knew he wouldn't let the topic go. "The past," I answered vaguely.

Godric sighed, "Look, I know that we have not always been very close, but I have the best intentions right now. You can tell me what is bothering you, and I can help you."

"It was about…" I considered for a moment telling Godric the truth- that the dream had been about Cassius and his son Lucius. But I knew Godric would jump to conclusions that Katarina was at fault for my werewolf related nightmares. And despite the fact I disliked her race, I could tell that she was a decent person. Although I wasn't completely certain, I also worried that if I told Godric the truth, he might feel guilty about my stress. After all, it was his plotting that caused my deep seeded fear of wolves. Godric was right- we had not always been close, but now that we were friends, I didn't want to bring back old issues. "My dream was about Mae," I lied.

Godric nodded, as if he understood everything, and put his hand on my shoulder. "I am sorry about your friend and how you parted. It was not fair that you had to choose between Eric and I and Mae. I am sorry you had to make that choice."

I smiled softly at Godric. "I made the right choice- no apologies necessary."

Godric turned to me, and for a moment I thought he was about to kiss me- and perhaps he was- when suddenly we were interrupted by a soft, "Juliana?"

I jumped a little at the sound of Katarina's voice, and I noticed Godric look quizzically at me. "What?" I snapped at her.

"I-I was wondering if you wanted to go to town with me and get some clothes," she stuttered slightly in response to my tone.

I tried to hold back a groan and Godric noticed. "Go, it will be good for you to make a new female friend." And I couldn't help but think how wrong Godric was.

We traveled into the city together, but I was walking slightly faster than Katarina, and she had to jog to keep up with me. I had no desire to socialize with her, but it was evident that she was determined to get to know me.

"So, how did you and Eric meet?" She asked me.

"He tried to kill me," I huffed in response, trying to get to town as soon as possible so this little shopping spree would be over quickly.

"And Godric?"

"He killed my sisters."

Katarina was silent for a moment, but then she continued randomly, "What's your favorite color for a dress?"

I paused and sighed, "Look, Katarina, I know you're trying to be friendly here but I really am not in the mood."

"Sorry…" She mumbled, but _still _continued to question me. "How old are you?" It took all my patience to not snap at her. But when I thought about her question, I realized why she seemed to annoying to me. I was practically 1300 years old, and this little wolf was barely 13.

"…I'm really old."

"You don't look really old." I forced a grin, but didn't respond. When we entered tailor's workshop, I immediately began to scan the store. The clothes were dismal, mostly frocks of earth tones. For a moment, I missed traveling with Mae, because with her we would always look for the most stunning of dresses. I turned to the tailor and asked, "What is your most extravagant dress here?"

The old man thought for a moment, but then pulled out a light blue dress with white lace lining the sleeves and neckline. Katarina did a double-take and said, "It is beautiful- how much is it?"

The man scoffed, "More than you ladies can afford."

Katarina looked heartbroken, but fished though her pocket to pull out one silver piece. "What can I get for this?"

"Put your money away," I whispered to her, knowing that money wasn't going to be necessary.

The man took the coin and said, "You can get two frocks."

Katarina giggled and ran over to the wall of peasant dresses. I rolled my eyes but then turned on the old tailor. "You will give that little girl the blue dress and you will not charge her anything for it. And give her that silver piece back." The man couldn't help but concede to my will, and he walked to her in a daze and handed her the dress. Katarina squealed in excitement at first, but then I could tell she saw the change in him. Once the silver piece was back in her hand, she tried to give it back to him as compensation. He refused.

The wolf slid over to me with a look of confusion. "What's wrong with that man? Why is he giving this to me?"

"You can have anything you want when you have a vampire's powers," I replied simply.

She just grew more confused and frustrated. "Did you do something to him?"

"I made him give you what you wanted. Take it."

Katarina tried to hand me back the dress. "I don't want to steal this from him, he's working hard."

"It is fine, just do it," I said, growing annoyed.

"No, I don't want it. That's not fair to him," She threw the dress back on the counter and stormed out of the store. The tailor tried to give it back to her, but I stopped him and demanded he forget everything that had just transpired.

Groaning, I left the store and noticed Katarina's back facing me. "You're being ridiculously stubborn," I said to her. I thought she was ignoring me when she didn't turn around, but then I noticed her shake slightly. Was she that angry with me?

"Katarina," I began, but then saw what she was staring at- three big men who were definitely from Rosmanskas pack.

"Richard is going to be happy to see you again, Katarina," one of them hissed, before they poised to attack.


	19. Numb

I was told that my public defender would visit me at 6 PM, but it wasn't until 7:30 when he arrived at the jail house. I was handcuffed and transported to the meeting room with two armed guards. They were under the Chief of Police's orders to not leave me alone, since I was considered "extremely dangerous" after attacking Nan and Buchannan.

Sitting in the stiff metal chair, I had a good feeling that this attorney would be better than my last. I figured it couldn't be very hard to improve from creepy, slimy, obnoxious Buchannan. But when Nicholas Pratt walked into the room, I couldn't help but question everything.

He looked like he was fresh out of law school, hardly 26. He had short blonde hair brushed away from his face to reveal two worried green eyes. Although, I had a hard time assessing his facial features since he refused to look at me. "Good evening," I greeted, trying to be friendly.

"Mhmm," Nicholas mumbled back to me, still not looking at me. He pulled out his chair across from me, and set his brief case down before sitting. As he ruffled through his papers, I wondered when he was ever going to speak to me.

We sat in near silence for about five minutes. Then Nicholas cleared his throat, and tried to look at me. "I-I'm Nicholas Pratt," he introduced quickly.

I smiled and extended my hand, although it was still handcuffed to the other. "Juliana," I responded. He glanced at my hand with fear, and reluctantly shook it. But I wouldn't even classify that as shaking my hand, since it was only a touch before he removed his hand from mine. He cradled that hand with his other, and seemed to examine it as if he were surprised I hadn't stolen it.

Trying to hold back a groan, I leaned back in my chair and said, "Yes, I'm cold. It's because I'm dead."

Nicholas seemed to freeze up a little, still refusing to look at me. I was running out of patience. "I promise I will not glamour you if you look at me. Although, glamouring the anxiety out of you would probably do you a world of good. Tell me, Nicholas Pratt, have you ever met a vampire before?"

He was looking at me now, his mouth slightly ajar, "N-no."

"I figured as much. Now tell me this, how many murder trials have you done?"

"I, well, I can't say that I've done any."

I paused for a moment, knowing that wasn't an ideal answer. "Well… What kind of people have you defended in the past?"

"Umm… I interned for an attorney while he did an arson case."

"Yes, but what have _you _done?"

"I… I haven't done any. This is my first case."

Now it was my turn to stare blankly at Nicholas with my mouth hanging open. "The state sent me a brand new lawyer? No experience. Great."

Nicholas didn't respond, he just looked away. I sighed and said, "Well, at least I have a lawyer, I suppose. Look, I understand if you are afraid of me or what I am. I just hope that doesn't get in the way of the business we have together."

It didn't take a genius to tell Nicholas was afraid; and to be honest, I couldn't even blame him for feeling that way. Not only was this his first case, but this was probably going to be the biggest case of his career. There was a lot of pressure on him to defend me, but at the same time, was there anyone out there who believed in my innocence? Besides Godric, Eric, and myself, I wasn't sure anyone thought that I hadn't ruthlessly attacked teenagers at their prom. Not to mention that Nicholas was terrified of me because I was a vampire.

But at least he managed to look at me when he said, "Actually, I think I'm more afraid of all those reporters outside than I am of you. It's going to suck having to talk to them."

I couldn't help but grin at how different he was from Buchannan. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

***Centuries Ago***

The attack was all a blur to me. I'm not sure where my mind went, but it was definitely not where it was supposed to be. The four men advanced on Katarina, and I vaguely remember hearing her shrill cry as she tried to get away. They were faster then her- faster than almost anything besides a vampire- and pulled her to the ground. She was crying, but I felt everything shut off inside me. I couldn't hear her, I could only watch them brutally kick and beat her down. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I respond to anything? It felt like I was somewhere else, watching a girl named Juliana ignore someone who obviously needed help.

_"Juliana!"_

Katarina was curled up into a ball in the dirt.

_"Juliana!"_

I saw the little werewolf girl tilt her head to look at me, her face bloody.

"Juliana!" It was as if a whip had smacked me in the forehead, and suddenly everything was clear to me. I gasped, and the four men stopped attacking Katarina and turned to me.

One of them barked, "Stop calling for her, Katarina. A little girl can't help you now."

"Perhaps she can help me though," Another werewolf cooed perversely, stalking closer to me. "I need something warm to lie under me while I rest." He reached out to grab my arm and I quickly pulled away from him.

"Do not touch me," I snapped, but he only reached for me again. The instant his grimy hand touched my forearm, I swung my entire arm around and hurled him to the ground. I could tell by the force he had grabbed my arm with that he was on vampire blood, but it was evident that he had not expected me to be stronger than him.

He lay on the ground, stunned for a moment, and then stuttered, "She- she's a vampire! Kill her!"

The man on the ground quickly morphed in a wolf and jumped on me. The force of his impact knocked me on my back, but I managed to push him off before he could bite me. Another man turned into a wolf and latched onto my leg. I cried out in pain, and when I snapped my leg forward in one powerful kick, the wolf went soaring through the air. He landed on the ground with a loud, bone-crunching _crack. _I barely had time to notice his human corpse sprawled on the ground a few meters away before the three remaining wolves attacked me.

One leapt on my back, barking and snarling into my ear, while another sunk its teeth into my arm. I flailed my arm, but I couldn't shake the wolf, and he began to drag me towards the forest. The wolf on my back bit into my neck, and I crumpled to the ground in pain. For a moment, I wondered if this was how all the humans felt that I drank out of, but that was only a fleeting thought. I quickly regained my barrings, and wrenched my arm out of the wolf's mouth and threw the one that was tearing into my neck to the ground. I snapped one wolf's neck and broke another's spine. The final wolf seemed to realize he was outmatched, because he whimpered a little and tried to retreat.

I darted over to him and pulled him to me. He turned into a man before I had a chance to kill him. Desperately, he began to plead for his life: "Please, please, have mercy!" He cried in my tight grip. I considered ripping out his throat just to stop his crying, but then I noticed Katarina walking towards me. She didn't seem as terrified as when she was getting attacked, but with her arms crossed and her distance between the Rosmanskas guard and myself, it was obvious Katarina was still afraid.

She glanced between the guard and I before whispering, "What are you waiting for, Juliana? Kill him."

"No, please! Richard is the one you should kill!" The wolf shouted, thrashing in my grip. All Katarina could do was shake her head.

I paused for a moment, thinking. Would it really solve anything if I were to kill all of these guards? Richard would just have more guards out searching for the dead ones by the end of the night. Surely they would realize they had some enemies in town if four of their comrades turned up dead. No. We had an opportunity to end this now, and I was not about to let us pass it up.

I dropped the crying man onto the ground. He lay there, stunned, and Katarina screamed, "What are you doing, Juliana!"

I knelt down to the man's level. "Go to Richard," I sneered, my teeth clenched, "And tell him everything. Tell him that it is just two little girls who killed three of his men. And tell him that I can kill more. I want him to bring his best men to the caves, because that's where we'll be. If he wants Katarina, then he needs to be prepared to lose a lot of men." I stood back up, but the man was frozen in shock and fear. "Go!" I commanded, pointing into the woods, and he swiftly transformed and darted away.

Katarina began to pace next to me, weeping. "Why didn't you just kill him? Do you know what you've done? Richard will not let us live after a challenge like that."

"Calm down," I demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders, "I know what I'm doing."

Katarina couldn't stop crying, she was borderline hysterical. "How? You don't know anything about Richard."

"When I was your age, I was a sheep herder."

"What does that have to do with anything?" She snapped back at me.

"You said it yourself that the pack was like sheep. So, let me heard the sheep."

She seemed looked at me with disbelief. "Richard is not a sheep; he is a wolf, and he will kill us."

"Trust me," I said simply.

Katarina glanced away, her arms crossed over her chest protectively. Her voice wavered as she said, "I-I thought you weren't going to help me. The way you looked at me back there… I thought you were gone."

I felt my heart break, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't deal with those kinds of emotions right now. I tried to callous myself as much as possible and said, "I- I don't know what happened back there. But we need to go."

We ran off towards the caves, and only had to wait a few seconds before Godric and Eric arrived as well.

"What happened?" Godric asked, grabbing my arm to examine the dried blood. My wounds had healed almost instantly, but I still looked disheveled.

"Richard's guards attacked us, and Juliana killed three of them," Katarina hastily explained.

I slowly pulled my arm out of Godric grasp and said, "I told the last one to bring Richard and his best wolves here to fight. They don't know that you two are here."

Eric was already looking around at the cave, grinning. I could see his mind returning back to his Viking days as he began plotting this next battle. "I hate to admit it, Juliana, but I think you're kind of a genius. This place is perfect: dark, small corridors, and fairly unknown. The wolves won't be able to attack as a pack- they'll have to fight us one-on-one, which is abnormal for them. It's absolutely perfect."

He turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "You know, if you were a man, you would have made a great general."

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and said, "Thanks, I guess."

Katarina shuffled nervously behind Godric. When we heard a chorus of howls echoing throughout the cave, she clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. Godric turned to us and said, "They're here, are you ready?"

Eric laughed and I nodded.

The first wolf found us fairly quickly, and dove at Eric. It was an easy kill, but his last howl alerted others to our corridor. Three more found us, and Eric took on two at once while Godric disposed of the third. I stood near Katarina, protecting her, but also protecting myself. I knew that I had frozen up last time the wolves attacked, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't vulnerable again.

Suddenly, Katarina screamed, and two wolves assailed us from the other end of the cavern. Once landed on me, and tore into my neck, clearly going in for the kill. I lay under him, absolutely petrified. I didn't even notice him get pulled off me, all I could see was his snapping teeth replaying in my mind over and over again. Godric lifted me off the ground and shook me, "Juliana? Juliana?"

I didn't respond, but he left me standing alone while he killed another few wolves. He came back over to me and asked, "Are you alright, Juliana?"

I nodded weakly, and felt around my neck. It didn't hurt, and I assumed that was because I had healed myself. But I noticed that everything seemed to feel far away to me, just like it had felt when Katarina was being attacked. Everything sounded faint and looked fuzzy. I couldn't relate to the situation anymore. Why was I here?

I saw a wolf stalk towards me. His lip flared, which I recognized as a snarl even though there was no sound. Was he really being silent, or had I gone deaf? I felt myself dart over to the wolf and snap his neck.

Staring down at the wolf corpse, I couldn't help but think of Cassius with his head crushed by my wooden staff so many centuries ago. I had felt different then, when I killed him. Terrified. Sad. Furious. Empowered. But now… Now I felt nothing at all.

I turned my head up and saw Godric looking at me with concern. His lips mouthed my name, but then he turned away to talk to Eric. Why was I feeling this way now? How had I changed so much?

I had thought before it was because I was calloused- jaded from the years of fighting for my life against werewolves and vampires. But then I found my eyes directed at Katarina, curled with her knees tucked under her chin as she cried to herself. I could hear her soft sobs- out of everything going on in this cave, that was what I could hear- and that was when I first began to realize what was wrong with me. I wasn't calloused against my pain and terror, I was numb to it. I had surrounded myself with such horror for so many years, that my body and mind just couldn't handle feeling those emotions anymore.

"Juliana?" Godric grabbed my arm, and suddenly I was normal again. I noticed that dozens of dead men littered the cave, which was still and quiet with their death.

"Yes?"

Godric looked puzzled, and I knew he was trying to assess my feelings. "I'm fine," I told him.

He nodded wearily, and gestured to Eric. "Eric is going to find Richard now. He never came into the cave, but we think he's close by- probably unprotected."

"Richard is dangerous," Katarina began fearfully, but Eric ignored her pleas.

"Not if we've killed all his guards."

"Please don't."

"Stay behind if you're afraid." And then he stormed out, towards the exit of the cave. Godric and I followed, and slowly Katarina did as well. When we exited the cave, there was nobody. However, it only took a second for Eric to hear movement coming from the forest, where he found Richard and two of his remaining guards. The extra wolves were dead before I arrived, and Eric had Richard in a chokehold on the ground when we walked up. It was strange seeing him this way, powerless against Eric. He seemed entirely different than the ruthless monster we had watched for weeks.

"A-all this for K-k-katarina," Richard stuttered through Eric's grasp, "S-she's not worth anything." Katarina faltered a little behind Godric, trying to stay out of Richards view. She was tearing up and shaking, but she still peeked her head around the vampire to catch glimpses of her dictator's death.

"She's valuable to me, After all, she led me to you- and your pack killed my family. Now it is my turn to return the favor," Eric began to twist Richards neck slowly, trying to make the pain last longer.

Richard groaned in anguish and shouted, "Werewolves kill everyone, what makes you believe we are the culprits?"

"Your scar," Eric snarled.

I saw the look in Richard's eyes change with realization. "When was your family killed?" he asked.

Eric stopped turning Richards head and asked sharply, "What does that matter?"

"You're a vampire, you must be quite old. When was your family killed?"

"300 years ago."

Richard laughed weakly, "And you think my pack is responsible for that? We were fledglings back then, less than a dozen members. And these scars? They didn't exist until a few years ago." The werewolf's dark eyes turned to Katarina. "They are not your blood; they do not care about you. When you are of no value to them, they will kill you."

"You would kill me too," she retorted weakly.

"Yes, but at least I would not pretend you were an ally before. You were a traitor to your kind, and you deserved death. If even we couldn't trust you, why should they?"

"I didn't lie to them. I-I didn't lie to you!" She said when Eric looked at her. The very fear of his blue glare turning on her caused her to stutter, "P-please believe me, Richard lies!"

Richard pointed at Katarina, "She was there he came," he accused, "She's afraid of him too, that's why she's not saying anything."

"N-no. He's lying!" Katarina was shaking so furiously now that I thought she was about to seizure.

Eric appeared to believe her, because he turned back to Richard and asked, "Who is your master?"

Richard flinched a little at the word "master" since it was obvious that he usually reserved the word to describe himself. But even he seemed to accept the fact he was under, at least partial control, of another. He turned away and sneered, "Why don't you ask the traitor? She was there when it happened."

"I'm asking you."

"I won't tell you anything!"

And that was the last thing Richard Rosmanskas ever said. As Richard lay on the ground in death, Eric hissed to Katarina, "If I find out that you knew anything- anything at all- and didn't tell me, Katarina, I will make sure your death is much, much worse."

Eric killed every wolf in the pack after Richard, even the women and children. Katarina stayed behind with me, unknowing of what was happening to everyone she used to know, until Eric and Godric returned. They were covered in blood, and they smelled of unjust massacre. Even I was a little disheartened by their cruelty. Killing Richard and his guards I understood- killing innocent were's who had been victims themselves under Richard's reign, that I couldn't comprehend.

That night Katarina cried herself to sleep. I found sleep illusive, but when it did arrive, I had another terrible nightmare. I woke up screaming with Godric, Eric, and Katarina standing over me. My night terrors continued for the next two weeks, and eventually got so bad I would take the bleeds over sleeping. I could protect myself from the wolves in real life, but in my dreams I was helpless. It was as if all the fears I refused to face in reality were attacking me in my subconscious.

I probably would have gone on ignoring my terrible nightmares for the rest of eternity if Godric hadn't forced me to confront them.

"What are you scared of?" I was surprised by the bluntness of his question. I had just woken up, and was still shaken by the nightmare.

"I-I'm not scared of anything. I'm fine."

"Stop saying your fine, Juliana! You're not fine!" Godric's voice was rising with frustration, which was very rare for him. I couldn't help but feel a little afraid and I'm sure Godric could sense that. He sighed and commanded, "Just tell me what the problem is and I will help you."

Trying to stay calm as I said, "There is no problem, I really am fine."

"Stop lying to me, and stop lying to yourself," Godric hissed, and grabbed both of my shoulders. "What are you afraid of? Me?"

"No," I responded honestly.

"Eric?"

"No."

For a moment Godric seemed perplexed, but I saw a sudden flicker in his eyes before he darted off. I knew immediately where he was going.

_"No!" _ I screamed in horror as I ran after him. Godric was faster than me however, and he got to Katarina first. He had his hands around her neck, but I managed to shove him off of her before he could inflict any damage.

"Why are you acting this way?" Godric yelled at me, and suddenly Eric appeared in the room and stood between us and Katarina.

"You don't understand!" I groaned and rubbed my hand against my forehead.

"You are angry, that much I understand. Who are you mad at? Me? Eric? The wolf?"

"No. No, it's not any of you. I just-"

"Just what?" Godric cut me off sharply, and I knew instantly that he was done listening to my lies. "Tell us Juliana."

"I'm mad at myself! I'm mad at myself because I can't stop feeling the way I do. I know it's stupid and I know it's irrational. I try to tell myself I have nothing to be afraid of but the reality is that I am afraid… all the time."

The room turned silent after my outburst, and the only thing that could be heard was Katarina's fast breaths. Finally Godric's eyes flickered a little towards Katarina and he whispered in Spanish, "Juliana, let me help you."

"No. I don't need your help. I know what your solution is going to be and trust me, it isn't going to help. Katarina is not the problem- the problem is inside of me."

Godric faltered a little bit, and I knew that our entire past had just played through his mind. He knew why I was this way. There were many times in my past that werewolves had hurt me, and arguably all of those times could have been avoided if Godric had not been a part of my life.

I saw Godric fight back emotions as he moved closer to me. He grabbed my hands and said softly, "I am so sorry Juliana."

I tired to console him. "This isn't your fault, its just who I am. I was always afraid of wolves."

"I exploited your fear and turned it into a cancer. I am so sorry."

"Please, do not apologize again. I don't blame you, I blame myself for not fixing this so long ago. I knew that this was going to be too much for me to handle and I ignored my feelings. I will not make that mistake again. I am not ashamed that I feel this way, I am just ashamed it took me this long to accept that what I was feeling was obviously real. I need to leave."

Godric grip on my hands tightened ten-fold. "No! Please, Juliana. Do not go. I will make amends."

"I am the only one who can make these amends. Trust me; I am finally taking care of myself."

Godric dark eyes narrowed into mine. "I will not let you leave."

"Why would you put me through that? And Eric? Hunting wolves and seeking vengeance is his passion- not mine. Even if you could force me to stay, you would be making Eric miserable too. It is not worth it."

"But-"

"Godric," I said, squeezing his hands a little, "I need to do this."

He looked away from me for a second, and bit his lip. It was hard to see Godric in so much pain. I knew how much he cared about me, but seeing his turmoil over letting me leave really surprised me. Eventually, he let go of my hands. "I want you to be happy."


	20. Love I

**AN: This chapter was difficult to write. I apologize about the time it took to post this and the fact that it is so long (It really should be split into two chapters… maybe I will do that). Although most of you who leave comments like my original characters, I know that this is a True Blood story and so I try to incorporate the actual True Blood characters as much as possible. With that said, this chapter doesn't really contain them. The next chapter will have all of your favorite characters in it and a TON of drama. And when I say a ton of drama, I really do mean a ton. I'm going to try and have that next chapter out within the week, since I spent most of my time writing that chapter and not this one. Its almost summer and I will have more time to finish this story. My goal is to have it all wrapped up right before the new season of True Blood starts. Enough of this authors note, on to the story. Read/Review/Favorite because I love you. 3**

Even though my new lawyer wasn't trying to grope me, he still left a lot to be desired. The first thing I told Nicholas Pratt to do was to get a plea bargain with the prosecutors. That was probably the first time I realized how much trouble I was in. The state was so determined to lock me up in a maximum security prison that they refused to make any deal with Nicholas. I didn't understand it at first, since they had previously made a deal with Buchanan. But the more time I spent with Nicholas, the more I understood.

Nicholas Pratt wasn't exactly intimidating. He seemed to be constantly jumpy and jittery: always shuffling some papers, clicking a pen, biting his lip. He was making eye contact with me now, but he still jolted every time I made an unexpected movement, like stretching. I imagined he was probably the same way with the prosecutors. My fears were realized when I heard some of the guards joking about Nicholas: "The kid couldn't scare a goddamn rabbit," one of them said from another room, but I could still hear them because of my vampire senses. The other responded, "The state won't even need to try to get a conviction on this one." The fact was that Buchanan had the resources and the prestige to get the prosecution to bend to his every whim. My novice public defender, however, was a joke to the prosecution.

Finally, I told Nicholas to at least convince them to speed up the trial date. Nicholas became quite anxious after I requested that from him: "But the evidence against you is quite… significant."

I sighed, "I don't care. I'm growing weary of rotting in a cell."

"But you'll be rotting in a cell anyways if we lose."

He was right, to an extent. If we lost there was no way I would avoid prison, but in the back of my mind I still held onto the belief that I could leave anytime. I had the ability to, as a vampire, and I was confident that nobody could really comprehend the extent of my nearly 1800 year old powers.

The next night, Nicholas had quite a bit of news to report; "The state and Judge Riviera agreed to a trial next month."

I grinned at him. June was less than two weeks away. "Perfect, thanks."

But Nicholas wasn't finished; "I also found a cardiologist who will testify on your behalf."

"Really?" I was slightly surprised, since I thought of Nicholas as almost entirely incompetent.

He nodded eagerly and slid me a brief on the cardiologist. "What do you think of him?"

I hardly looked at the paper. At this point, I would accept any professional willing to help me- I didn't care if it was a professional mechanic as long as it was someone.

"He'll do."

"Are you sure?"

Nicholas had this irritating sense of insecurity about him. I was determined to break it. "You're my lawyer, if you think he's acceptable, then so do I," I told him and pushed the paper back over to him.

"But I'm a new lawyer, and you're an old vampire. You know better."

"I don't know better, I never went to law school. In fact, I never went to _any _school. So if we're basing this argument on educational experience, I'm convinced you would win."

Nicholas looked perplexed, as if he couldn't imagine anyone never going to school. What he didn't understand, I'm sure, is that the idea of a formal education was a fairly recent one, and the idea of teaching women was even more recent. Considering those factors, and the fact that I am perpetually stuck in the body of a teenager, it was no wonder that I had never gone to college- or even high school. That's not to say I was ignorant. I was well-read and fluent in many languages. And because of my age and experiences, I knew more about the history, geography, and sociology of the world than most people. But even still, I knew almost nothing on the intricacies of the legal system.

"I think we should review the state's case, so that we can prepare to defend you from it." I nodded, and Nicholas rummaged through his brief case and pulled out some pictures. They were newspaper pictures of the boys I had allegedly attacked. "The prosecution will tell the jury that you violently assaulted these boys at their high school prom. And we should say that they…. Provoked you?"

I cringed inwardly at his word choice. "I don't think "provoked" is a good word. I'm not a bear, or something. I was peacefully participating in the dance, when those boys began harassing me. I was simply defending myself."

Nicholas wasn't convinced. "I'm sure the prosecution will just say that, as a vampire, you do not need to defend yourself from a few human boys. They would not be able to harm someone like you, and so you used inappropriate force to defend yourself. What should we say to that?"

I groaned, "The fact is, that if they had not been harassing me, there would have been no conflict in the first place. They were intoxicated, and one of them grabbed me. I pushed him off of me, and although I did use some force, he was drunk and his sense of balance was less than perfect."

Nicholas began feverishly searching though his notes again. "The police report doesn't say anything about the boys appearing intoxicated…"

Now I was shocked. "It doesn't? They clearly were. One of them spilled some vodka he had in his water bottle on me. Who was the officer who wrote that report?"

"Officer McNeal."

"We should definitely confront Officer McNeal and those boys on that in court."

"The court will side with the officer nine times out of ten," Nicholas told me sadly, but I wasn't discouraged.

"Maybe we'll be lucky number 10."

"I've never been very lucky," Nicholas mumbled pathetically.

Neither had I, but I wasn't about to tell Nicholas that. He put that picture away and pulled out another one. It was of Godric and I dancing, our faces close together. We were smiling, and if I were an unbiased third party, I would have assumed we were just two kids having the time of our lives at a dance. But I knew better.

Nicholas pushed the paper across the table to me, but I just let it sit there. "Who is he?"

"The prosecution won't ask me that," I responded staunchly.

"Why? He's practically an accomplice; he came and left with you."

It irritated me to even think about the situation. "It was Nan Flanagan's wish that he was not charged- or even associated- with this trial. The prosecution respected her wish."

Nicholas was surprised, to say the least. It was clear that he had expected the justice system to work exactly as he had learned it in school. I was pretty sure this case was jading him.

"Well, how is he more important than you?"

I grinned a little at the way he phrased the question- as if I were the most important vampire in the world. "That's just it- I'm unimportant. I'm nobody. He's a Sherriff."

"He's… a police officer?"

I chuckled a little and said, "No, no. Sorry, I forget you're unfamiliar with vampire terminology. He's like the human equivalent of a governor, or a mayor. He's a prominent figure in an area of Texas. His name is Godric."

Nicholas was staring at the picture, and it was clear that he could see the evident trust and happiness between Godric and I. "Is he, like, your boyfriend or something?"

Not anymore, I thought furiously. "No. He's my maker."

"So… he's like, your dad."

"Definitely not. A maker is not a parent. A maker is just the vampire that turns a human into a vampire. His blood runs through my veins, but we aren't related any more than that." I was undermining our relationship because at that moment, I wished that's all we were to each other. The more involved I became in this case, the more I resented Godric for abandoning me here.

"You seem a lot closer to him in this picture."

"If we were really that close, he would be in the cell next to me, not all the way back in Texas," I muttered hatefully. Nicholas seemed to notice my change in mood, because he promptly packed up his papers and promised to come up with a good defense during the day. Our trial was starting in less then two weeks, but we still had a long way to go.

***Centuries Ago***

"My name is Juliana, and I'm your great niece. I've come all the way from Rome to help take care of you. You haven't seen me since I was five years old, but you remember that I was always a sweet little girl who loved to play outside by the water and with the sheep."

The elderly woman nodded, her blue eyes wide in impetuous acceptance. Her name was Bia, or Grandma Bia as I was going to call her. Apparently she was a Roman native, but had moved to Yorkshire, England with her daughter when her daughter got married. Tragically, her daughter and son-in-law recently died in a fire. But, thankfully for me, this left the perfect opportunity to blend into England. Once I finished glamouring this woman, I would have a home, a human as a reference (and potentially a food source) and a new life.

I glanced over at Godric when I was finished. He nodded his satisfaction. "It's best to keep it simple," he advised me, "Too many details will just raise suspicion with others."

Eric stood in front of Grandma Bia and demanded, "And you will never rescind our invitation."

She shook her head, "I will never rescind your invitation."

The Viking smirked, but shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I think we can move on now; Juliana can handle herself from here."

Godric threw him a sideways glance, as if to challenge his impatience, but turned to me. "Eric's right," I told him, "I'll be fine."

Godric reached for my hands and squeezed them. "I know you will be. You are very strong."

"Thank you."

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "We will come back and visit you. And I will come the second I think you need help."

"I'll be fine," I repeated with a smile. Godric looked worried, and a little sad, but he followed Eric out the door. I walked outside and saw Katarina standing dejectedly in front of the house. She turned towards me when she heard me exit. "Juliana!" She quickly called out, and made a motion to approach me. Both Eric and Godric got in her way. She tried to move around them as she begged, "Please, I need to tell her something."

Before I could respond, Eric quickly snapped at her in Lithuanian, "You've caused enough problems. Be quiet."

"Eric," I said warningly, but he ignored me.

"Transform, and follow us. We're going to moving all night," he directed Katarina. She was still looking at me, her eyes alone calling for me to stop them. I honestly felt terrible about leaving her with them, I didn't think she was ready to travel with two vicious vampires. But at that point, there was nothing I could say. She was Eric's, and I had no control over what he would choose to do with her.

Eric shoved her forward, and she grudgingly turned into a wolf at his touch. Eric darted off first, and Godric said goodbye to me before vanishing into a blur after him. The last I saw of Katarina was the flick of her tail as she trailed behind them.

I returned back inside the house and sat on a chair next to Grandma Bia. She had picked up a swatch of cloth and a needle and had returned to an embroidering project she was working on. I watched as she expertly pushed and pulled the needle through the cloth, quickly spelling out a name- Elizabeth, who was undoubtedly her daughter. She blinked back tears, but continued to sew as if sewing was the cure to her pain. I left her for a moment to grab a cup of tea and a handkerchief for Grandma Bia. She smiled solemnly at me and said, "Thank you, Juliana," as if she had known me her entire life. I considered for a moment glamouring the pain of her daughter's death out of her memory, but I stopped myself. Although I had her best interest at heart, I didn't want to take away her humanity while I removed her suffering. When she finished spelling out Elizabeth, Grandma Bia began digging through a basket of thread to start some flowers. "White lily's were her favorite," she told me.

I felt guilty for intruding into this woman's life when it was in such an obvious state of disarray. It was also a little bit awkward, since I had no idea how to comfort a grieving woman without using my powers- let alone a complete stranger.

As she was furiously digging through her basket of spools, she began to mumble, "Where is the ivory?" After nearly a minute more of searching, it was clear that there was no white thread. I volunteered to get some for her. "Oh, thank you, bambina. That would be lovely."

I left for the nearest store, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt human. It was strange to have to do such a menial task as purchasing thread. When was the last time I had done something that didn't put me in a life or death situation? I couldn't recall.

The store was very small, only about a twenty-foot-wide square, but the store was filled with walls of thread, fabric, and ribbon. It was a tailor or a seamstress's dream. Immediately, I felt lost. "You look terribly lost."

I spun around at the voice, probably faster than a human would have reacted and inwardly cringed at exposing myself. It was a man, definitely not the type of man I would have guessed to be in a sewing store. He was tall and thick with muscle mass- at least a foot taller than me, and probably 100 pounds more. He was pale, with thick blonde hair and big blue eyes, but his skin had this thin layer of dark dust that littered his arms and face.

I raised an eye brow at him. "Not as lost as you, I dare say. What is a coal miner doing in a sewing shop?"

He chuckled loudly- he had a very positive energy- and grinned at me. "I'm watching this store for my mother and sister while they prepare supper. Is there anything you need help with?"

"I need white thread," I told him.

He held out his arm like a gentleman. It was a little dramatic, and he was clearly flirting with me, but I just laughed and took his arm. "Right this way," he said, leading me all of two feet to a section of white thread.

"Thanks," I said as I selected the one of the spools. "How much is it?"

He took the spool from my hand and turned it over. Then, he held it up to the light, and tugged on the loose string. After he was done mock-examining it, he handed it back to me and said, "Well, I believe that one is free."

I was stunned for a moment at his kindness, but then said, "That really isn't necessary. I would be more than happy to pay for it-" And that was when I remembered that I didn't have a cent to my name. I really _couldn't _pay for it. I suppose that had I not run into this gentleman, I would have just stolen the spool, or glamoured the shopkeeper into giving it to me for free.

The man just shook his head. "Please, it is on me."

"Thank you very much."

He bowed slightly at the knees and tipped an invisible hat to me. "You're very welcome, my lady. And what should I call you should I ever run into you again?"

I grinned, "Juliana."

"What a beautiful name, Juliana."

I couldn't stop smiling. "And what should I call you?" I asked.

"David."


	21. Love II

**AN: This is going straight to the past because it is technically a continuation of the previous chapter. **

As fate would have it, I did run into David again. In fact, it became more of an every-night occurrence. I went into the sewing shop at the same time for a week, just to see David. I don't know what had come over me, but I felt butterflies in my stomach whenever I was around him.

One night, Grandma Bia was in such a deep depression over the loss of her daughter, that she wouldn't even get out of bed. I felt terrible even considering leaving her in that condition, so I stayed up with her all night, and even into the day. The next night I had the bleeds, but Grandma Bia was feeling much better. Even though she didn't understand what was wrong with me, she instructed me to sleep the illness away, and so I did.

"Yes, thank you Miss Bia," I heard a faint voice say from the other room. I rolled over in my bed in the dark room and tried to wake myself up. "I just wanted to check on you and your granddaughter. She hasn't visited me in a few days, and well, I guess it is rather ridiculous, but I was afraid she was dead."

"Dead?" Grandma Bia squeezed back, "And why on Earth would you think that?"

"Dragon's of course. Every day dragons just come by and swoop up pretty girls. I was just afraid Juliana had been the victim of such a dragon kidnapping." I snickered to myself upon recognizing the utter absurdity of the story and the storyteller. "I am only joking, Miss Bia."

Finally, Grandma Bia started to laugh. "Oh, David, you are such a wily man."

I quickly dressed myself and went out to see David. "She just woke up," Grandma Bia declared. I shot her a glare and reminded myself to glamour her into never revealing my true vampire tendencies.

"Sleeping? At this hour?" David asked.

"It was that dragon," I swiftly recovered, "He put a curse on me."

David smirked. "Really? What kind of curse?"

"Insomnia," I gestured to the door, "Let's talk outside."

He had come all the way to my home to check in on me. I thought that was very sweet. In fact, I thought David was very sweet, and I was very smitten with him after just a week. We began to see each other on a regular basis- every night at my house or his. I had to make up excuses when we would eat dinner, as to why I wasn't eating, and on Sunday's during the day, as to why I refused to see him. It was difficult, but somehow I managed to make it work without ever glamouring him. It seemed as though he were already glamoured to love me and I to him.

Months passed, and David and I still were still very much in love. One night, David came home to see me reading. "You are always reading," David told me, as he sat down on the chair across from me. He tilted his head to the side in order to read the spine of the book in my hand. His inquisitive blue eyes stared at the words for a few seconds, and then he squinted his eyes, and finally he closed one and tilted his head the other direction.

I snickered at his antics and said, "It is _The Beauty and the Beast_."

"Hmm, it sounds peculiar. Tell me about it."

I sighed and began to tell him the story, "This intelligent, beautiful girl is forced to life with this hideous beast. The beast needs someone to fall in love with him in order to break a curse placed on him by a witch. He asks her every night to marry him, but she always refuses. So, pretty much the story is about a monster trying to woo an innocent girl. Also, there's enchanted furniture."

David looked confused. "That sounds like a terrible story."

"She ends up marrying the beast in the end- he's really a prince," I quickly defended.

David shrugged, "Well, all I can think of is how you are beautiful and intelligent, like the Beauty in your story, and so I must be the Beast. And that's just insulting."

"The Beast is a wonderful man disguised as a monster," I told him, "And that's not you at all. You are witty and handsome- if anything, you're the Beauty in this story."

"I couldn't even read the title of that book," David mumbled sadly.

"That's not your fault, the title is in French."

He raised an eye brow incredulously at me. "You're reading a book in French?"

"Of course, it's written by a French woman."

David held up his hand in surprise. "First, you never told me you were fluent in French. Second, I couldn't read that title, Juliana- not because it was in French- but because I can't read at all."

"You're illiterate?" I asked. I was a little bit surprised, but the more I thought about it, the less shocking it actually was. I had learned to read merely because while I was traveling with Godric and Eric, there were times where I had nothing better to do. While Eric was whoring out women, I had picked up a book and taught myself how to read. When I thought about David, however, I began to realize how unfortunate his situation was. He was born to a family that was hardly above living on the street. He had been working since he was 12 years old in a cave harvesting valuable ores- and I expected him to know how to read? Although the literacy rate had been rising consistently since my birth so many centuries ago, I knew there were still plenty of people who couldn't even recite the alphabet.

"It is not something I like to brag about," David mumbled.

I leaned forward and grabbed his hand. "You shouldn't be ashamed of that David," I told him, "Ignorance can always be educated."

David smirked at me. "Would you educate me?"

I couldn't help but grin back at him. "I would be proud too."

"And if I were to ask you every night to marry me, like in your French fairy tale, would you do that as well?"

I felt the butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach turn to stone. Suddenly, I felt like there was a terrible danger in this room- and that danger was me. "N-no," I stammered.

David clearly didn't expect my response. "Why not?" He asked.

I frowned, "Because you are not the beast in this story- I am."

He squeezed my hand. "How could you ever think that? You are the most beautiful woman I know." David got off his chair and knelt down next to me. He gathered both of my hands into his and stared into my eyes. "And I am being perfectly serious when I say this, Juliana. I really do want to marry you."

"You don't know me, David," I whispered back to him. There was a harsh reality that I had concealed from David for almost a year now. In fact, I had been hiding that same harsh reality from myself during that time as well. I knew that I was dangerous, and that there was the possibility that I would hurt the humans that I had grown to love. But the more I pretended to be human, the more I began to convince myself that what I was pretending was actually true. But I was just fooling myself and David. Once he knew the truth, I was confident I would lose him forever.

"Of course I know you. I talk to you every night about things I would never tell another soul. You know everything about me, so how is it I don't know about you?"

I felt myself cringe at his words. David was being so open and honest with me, it was painful to have to admit the truth. But I knew it was time to tell him, if ever there was an opportunity, it was now. "David, I've been lying to you. I'm not the person you think I am. I really am a monster."

David almost growled back at me in defense, "You are not."

"I didn't want to tell you the truth because I care about you… a lot. I do want to marry you, David. The thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. But the truth is, I'm dangerous. I never want to cause you any harm, so trust me when I say that you are better off without me. I will only hurt you if you stay."

Again, he squeezed my hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You are making a mistake."

"Show me. Show me who you really are."

I felt blood tears begin to well up in my eyes, but I forced them down. "Please don't be afraid," I begged him.

"I will love you no matter what," He sincerely stated.

I looked away from him and opened my mouth slightly. On an exhale, I let my fangs click down in their fully extended form. David didn't shy away or seem startled, but it was probably because he didn't have a good look at them. He continued holding my hand with his left hand, but released his right so that he could turn my head to face him. His big, rough hand gently touched my check, and he tilted my face towards his, as if he were going to kiss me. He moved his finger to my lip and got his first good look at my fangs. I was afraid to see his reaction, but the curiosity was killing me. When I saw his expression, I was surprised by his lack of fear. He mostly seemed curious, like a child. When David noticed I was looking at him, he turned his big brown eyes to me, "Is that all?" He asked with a slight laugh.

"No," I mumbled, "That is just the beginning." I grabbed his hand that was touching my face with lighting quick dexterity. David's eyes widened by the movement, but he refused to state any fears he may have had. I moved my hand towards his pointer finger, and kissed the tip of it. Then, I gently bit the end of it with my right fang and began to taste his blood for the first time.

David tasted glorious. Pure, untamed by anything. Free. I imagined his blood to have the same effect on me as if I had reached the top of the world and then screamed at the top of my lungs until I was out of breath. David was exciting and delicious. I almost didn't want to stop.

Then I caught a glimpse of David. He had bit his lower lip to keep from crying out in pain when I first bit him, but now he was just cringing a little every time I sucked some more of his blood out. I took one more taste of him, and then I retracted my fangs.

"See what I am? See what I have to do to survive? I'm not human, David. I haven't been for 1500 years."

David just stared at me, and held his finger with his other hand. It was still bleeding, but the injection I had inflicted on his finger would heal relatively quickly. "You are 1500 years old?" He asked quietly, finally beginning to understand what I had been trying to explain to him.

"Yes."

"And you have survived this long because… because you bite people like me?"

"I have done much worse to people like you. I have killed. I have killed many people," I was ashamed to admit that. If being a vampire and sucking blood from humans was not a clear distinction, killing people was. I knew David had never killed a man- I doubted he even had the capacity too. Although he was enormous and very strong compared to other humans, he was far too gentle to ever harm another person.

I, on the other hand, was far more vicious.

"Do you want to kill me?" He asked softly, as if that were a question that he didn't really want to ask, but needed to.

Hurt, I questioned, "How could you even ask me that?"

"Who have you killed that I know?"

I shook my head. "No one. I haven't killed a human in years."

After several seconds of silence, David said, "I can forgive you for that, then."

"I don't want your forgiveness. I just want you to know what I really am. I want you to be safe."

David looked me dead in the eyes, and said very seriously (which was very uncharacteristic of him), "I can take care of myself, and I can take care of you."

I leapt off the chair and dragged David up with me. It required some effort, but David's fresh blood had reinvigorated me. If I wanted too, I could throw him in the air and catch him with just the palm of my left hand. I pressed David against the wall, trying my best to not hurt him, but merely exert my force against him. "Try to push me off of you. Go ahead. Try."

"I would never lay a hand on you, Juliana," he told me.

"But what if I lay one on you? You wouldn't be able to stop me. I am very strong."

David pushed against me, and I could tell that he was astounded. But, in a second, his surprised facial expression changed to a mocking one. "I think I might actually like this," he grinned shamelessly.

I groaned and darted away from him, showing him my speed. "Now, that," he mumbled, pointing at me from across the room, "That I don't like as much. How can I stop you from running away from me when you're so fast?"

"You are ridiculous. I'm trying to prove to you that I'm dangerous, and you just think this is a joke!"

"No, you're trying to scare me out of loving you, and that's the real joke, Juliana. What I am feeling for you in undeniable. It is real. I can't stop it any more than you can stop being… well, whatever it is you are. I still want to be with you."

He didn't even know what to call me and he still knew he loved me. "How could you say that?" I asked him, somewhat sadly, but also with some hidden joyful surprise.

"I don't know. That's just how I feel. Don't you feel the same way?"

I didn't really have to think about my answer. "I do."

"Then come over here and press me against the wall again; I want to retest that."

"You just want me pressed against you again," I retorted.

"Can you blame me?"

I couldn't help but laugh and dash over to him. I stood on my toes and kissed him so passionately, I never wanted it to end.

Another year passed. David and I were practically inseparable- well, except for the fact I slept through the entire day while he worked. When I awoke at night, David would come home and we would be together for a few hours before he fell asleep. And every night he would ask me, "Will you marry me tonight?"

"Not tonight," I would reply.

"Tomorrow night, then," was always his response, before he shut his eyes.

I knew I wanted to marry David. I knew now that we could be together. He knew everything about me- even the stories I hadn't wanted him to know he somehow managed to get me to tell. He knew how Godric had killed my sisters and had turned me into a vampire. He knew that I had savagely, albeit accidently, killed my own sister. He knew how I had desperately turned to Mae and how she had abandoned me with Russell Edgington. He knew about Miguel, my were-mouse friend who had probably died many decades ago, and he knew about how Godric and Eric had accepted me again. He knew that Eric and I didn't get along even though we were technically siblings, and he knew that Godric had feelings for me that I had trouble reciprocating. He knew that Mae was almost killed by Godric, and how I had betrayed her at the last minute in order to save the vampire that I loved one day and hated the next. And finally, he knew about Katarina, and how I had deserted her with Eric and Godric while I started my new life in England.

"You're story is very complicated, Juliana," David told me as he lay next to me in bed.

"I know. Sometimes, I get confused with it as well."

"When are they going to return?" he asked me. It had been almost three years since I had last seen Godric and Eric.

"I have no idea." The truth was, I hadn't really thought about Godric and Eric all that much since starting my new life. I felt like I had started a new chapter of my life, and there was no place for them in it. All I wanted was David, and I didn't really care if Godric and Eric returned.

So why didn't I want to marry David? I was afraid I would hurt him, yes, but that was something that I could never change. Was there something inside of me that still had feelings for Godric? Probably, but without him around, I hardly thought about those feelings.

What was the real reason? Just asking myself the question was difficult, but finding the answer was even harder. Finally, I realized that it was just me. I was being selfish. Some predatory nature inside of me had become content with toying with David and leaving our life the same forever. But the reality was that only my life would be the same forever. Humans change, advance, develop- and vampires… vampires just become less and less human. I refused to allow myself to fade further away from the human I was trying to become, and I realized then that what I was doing to David was actually hurting him. All the other men his age had long become married and had children. And well David would never have children with me, at least he could have a wife.

The next night, after we had made love, David rolled over next to me and said, "Before I forget, are you going to marry me tonight?"

I smiled back at him. "Not tonight. You're hardly dressed for the occasion," I snickered.

"I like the way you're dressed," he retorted salaciously, and reached towards me. I let him grab me and drag me closer to him.

"I am naked. That would hardly be appropriate for a wedding."

"It would be rather lewd… probably very memorable. I know I would enjoy it."

"You think too much about our wedding day," I told him.

"The day we can be together forever is my greatest dream. It is all I ever think of, and all I hope for."

His words made my heart melt. "I love you."

"Then marry me," he said sincerely, but then switched back to his usual joker personality, "And make an honest man out of me."

I laughed. "I suppose its time we were honest. Let's do it."

David was stunned. "Really?" He asked, as if I would joke about this.

"Yes. Let's get married."

David smiled, but then rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, I thought you wanted to make love again. Now I'm disappointed." He threw me a wink to show that he was kidding.

"You're such an ass," I hissed at him.

"You love me, and that's all that matters." He kissed me again and maneuvered himself so that he was on top of me. "And I do want to get married- but lets do it next month. I like being dishonest with you. I don't know if being honest will be as fun."

"I'm sure I can make it more fun," I said with a lascivious smirk, before I leaned forward and kissed him again.

When I woke up that night, David was gone, and had been for hours. I knew he would be home soon, but I still left to go and pay Grandma Bia a visit and tell her the news.

"What, bambina?" She cried. "You're getting married! Oh my God! I can't believe it!" She hurried over to me and embraced me in a warm hug. "David, where is David?" she asked.

"He's at work Grandma, but he'll be home soon."

She pulled away from me and began furiously digging though a box of fabric in the corner of her room. "I am going to make you the most beautiful wedding dress. I am going to start right now." She pulled out a handful of white lace and a long piece of measuring tape and began to twirl it around me. "You are going to be the most beautiful bride in the world."

When Grandma Bia was done taking my measurements she began to sew. I quickly left so that I would be home in time for David. But as I was walking home, I had this weird sensation tingle along my spine. I felt nervous, but I brushed it off as pre-wedding jitters. However, when I reached the door of my house, I knew why I had suddenly felt so anxious.

"Juliana?"

That voice. That voice that I had last heard threaten me. _You're going to regret his decision. _I was almost paralyzed with fear. How could I turn around and face her after everything that had happened? How could I meet her unarmed?

"Juliana, is that you?" Her voice didn't sound threatening, merely speculative and even demure.

Slowly, stoically, I turned around.

"Mae?"


	22. The Trial

**AN: Oh, this chapter doesn't have as much drama as I thought it was going too- that's more or less next chapter. But all your favorite characters are back and unfortunately the reaction isn't pretty. More to come! Also, if I didn't respond to your review for the past few chapters, I'm really sorry about that. I'm going to go through the past few and respond to them, since I really love getting reviews and that's how I show my appreciation. Read/review/favorite **

From the moment I walked into the courtroom on the first night of the trail, I knew I was- for lack of a better word- fucked. It was just like being outside, I was immersed in hundreds of flashes of light bulbs, and the courtroom went crazy with murmuring. There were more reporters in that room than I had ever seen congregated in a single place before. They would talk into earpieces or recorders: "The defendant glided in with an unearthly presence," "The half a dozen guards that accompanied the vampire were hardly sufficent," "Her undead eyes were devoid of human compassion as she gazed over the crowd of spectators." I thought that was harsh. My eyes were hardly undead- if anything they were worried sick. I was already regretting my decision to follow through with this trial. What had I been thinking? These humans wanted my head, and I was just going to give it to them?

As I sat down next to Nicholas, I began to imagine how easy it would be to kill everyone in this room. Three minutes, two and a half tops. There were a _lot _of reporters.

"All rise for the Honorable Judge Riviera," The bailiff shouted, and everyone stood.

The judge walked in and quickly sat down, causing a ripple of murmuring from the spectators again. Judge Riviera quickly put them in their place. "I know that this case has generated a lot of strong public interest, and so I allowed reporters and spectators to sit through the proceedings. However, if I see one light bulb flash or hear even one comment from the stands, I will have the bailiff escort the entire group out and we will move to a closed court for the remaining days of this trail. I want no disturbances, is that understood?"

The crowd didn't respond, but they understood.

The prosecution started with their opening statement: "Cook Country High School had a brilliant prom planned- Night in Tuscany. It was supposed to be the last, and most important dance for these graduating seniors, and it was interrupted by the presence of one vampire- Miss Juliana Sabbas. Although serious measures were taken by the staff to make sure the children were in no danger from intruders, Juliana snuck into the venue and savagely attacked several young men, and then a police officer. As a vampire, she is inherently stronger and more vicious than a human, and therefore her use of force was inappropriate and unnecessary. Her very presence was so terrifying that the principal of Cook Country High School, Dr. Michael Vickers, dropped dead from a fatal heart attack. The prosecution is going to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Juliana is guilty of the following five criminal charges: trespassing, disrupting a school function, assaulting a police officer, three other cases of assaulting minors, and second degree murder. Hopefully this will bring some justice to poor Dr. Vickers. Thank you."

The jury looked sold. Nicholas stood up and quickly began his opening statement, but it had no effect on the jury because we had nothing to support it. "Vampires really aren't inherently evil, you'll see." As if the jury would believe that.

The prosecution called a security guard up to tell the jury about how they had tried to protect the students, and to guess how I had entered the building. Then they called up one of the boys I had pushed. He said that he just happened to be walking passed me, and merely bumped into me. Apparently, that was all he had done to provoke me, and then I tossed him across the room. He suffered "minor spinal bruising." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Then, the prosecution played the grainy cell phone video of me getting shot, claiming that I had also intimidated a security guard. The security guard also happened to be a retired police officer, and somehow that constituted as assaulting a police officer. Finally, he had three different doctors prove that an immediate panic, much like discovering a vampire was attacking a principal's students, could have caused the heart attack that killed Dr. Vickers.

The prosecution adjourned, and Judge Rivera adjourned the trail for the night so that we could prepare an appropriate defense. But there was no chance of a good defense for that. For all that the jury cared, I was a just an evil creature, who had somehow survived in America for this long and was finally getting what I deserved.

***Centuries Ago***

I stood in the doorway, strongly considering jumping into David's house since I knew Mae would not be able to enter. Instead, however, I froze on the porch and stared back at her. She was approaching slowly, almost meekly, and finally stopped a few feet away from me. "I was just passing through," she began quietly, her eyes diverted slightly in what I thought was shame, "And I saw you. I couldn't believe it was you, and… Well, I followed you here." Mae seemed to realize how uncomfortable this situation was because she said, "I'm sorry if my presence has startled you."

Startled was an understatement. I was genuinely scared. I knew how Mae was- she was self-centered and vengeful and had an unnaturally vindictive nature. I doubted she would leave without stirring up some problems. We had been companions, and I had betrayed her trust. I could understand why she would hate me, and I was sure she could understand why I was on-edge.

"What are you doing here, Mae?" I asked sharply.

Mae narrowed her eyes sorrowfully at me. "I am not here out of spite, Juliana. I happened to see you and I felt compelled to talk with you. Please, it will only take a moment of your time." The vampire took a step forward, as if she expected me to just let her into the house. I opened the door and took a step inside, but I had no intention of ever inviting her in. Discretely, I reached for a steak I had hidden behind the stool adjacent to the door. Mae attempted to follow me into the house, but was forced to stay a few feet back. "Aren't you going to get your human to invite me in?" She asked, and although her tone was different now, I still envisioned this to be a very Mae-like question. Always abrasive and demanding, Mae knew what she wanted in life and did not like when people stood in her way.

"I can't, he's at work. We can talk outside." Cautiously, I motioned for her to take a step back and allow me to exit the house. I was trying to maintain a safe amount of space between us, but I felt uncomfortable just thinking about talking to her.

We stood in the front of the house, and although I had stopped moving, Mae continued a few more feet back. Her eyes were narrow with suspicion as she glanced between my face and my sleeve, which was where I had hidden the steak. Obviously, she knew why I had entered the house- she knew me too well. "I am not here to cause any harm, Juliana, please believe that. I simply wanted to apologize."

Not desiring to cause me any harm? Wanting to apologize? That did not sound like the Mae I knew at all. But something inside of me felt obligated to listen to what she had to say. "Go on," I commanded.

Mae sighed and touched her long fingers against her temple, as if her thoughts were giving her a headache. "I won't lie to you, Juliana. After you chose Godric and Eric over me, I was furious. I spent sometime thinking about how I would kill you, and them. But the more time I spent alone, the more I realized that… that I was wrong. I shouldn't have forced you to participate in my revenge. I should have respected your wishes and moved on with my life. But instead I let my need for revenge push you away. So, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I put you in that position. That is all."

I stared at Mae in stunned disbelief. I had never really imagined seeing Mae again, but if I had, I would certainly not have thought our conversation would go like this. This was perhaps the best possible reunion imaginable, and I still couldn't help but be doubtful. Even though Mae seemed sincere, how could I really know for sure?

After a long period of silence Mae nodded her head and turned around, as if to leave. She seemed disappointed in my lack of reaction, but not surprised. I suddenly felt bad, as if I were just dismissing this person who used to be close to me. After all, I shouldn't be too quick to forget that Mae was the vampire who had practically raised me. Although we didn't always see eye-to-eye, she was still very important to me. I suppose that's what compelled me to call, "Wait, Mae!"

She turned back around, her face blank. I smiled and said, "Thank you."

Mae threw me one of her old smirks, finally losing the shy and sad persona she had originally approached me with. "I've missed you, Juliana."

I couldn't help but return her smirk, "I am pretty amazing."

"Oh, shut up. You've gotten cocky without me. I bet it was that damn Viking."

Shrugging, I laughed, "It probably was."

Finally, we hugged, as friends should. "You aren't going to steak me now, are you?" She snickered as she grabbed my arm. She could feel the wood under the sleeve of my dress, and she rolled her eyes. "As if."

"I would have if you attacked me," I defended.

Mae was going to say something, but then we both noticed David walking towards the house. He was home from the coal mines, covered from head to toe in dark soot. He had taken off his over shirt, which revealed a slightly less filthy undershirt. I smiled at him, thinking how attractive I thought he was when he was dirty, and ran over to give him a kiss. When he pulled away from me and saw Mae, he turned to me and asked, "Is she a," he put both of his pointer fingers in his mouth and stuck them out from under his lip to mimic fangs, "too?"

I snickered at his antics, but Mae just looked appalled. Never in her life had she met a human who knew about vampires and was so freely able to mock them. He moved away from me and stuck out his hand for Mae. Reluctantly, she extended hers as he kissed the top of it. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm David."

Mae completely ignored him. "David is your human?" she asked me, to which I nodded.

"He is also my fiancé. We're getting married next month."

Mae still looked shocked. "Are you insane?" she whispered, her language quickly changing to Arabic so that David wouldn't understand. "You cannot mate with a human- you are not human!"

I threw an apologetic glance at David, since I knew he was now officially out of the conversation. "I know that, Mae."

"It is dangerous! And you just let him leave your house… Have you even glamoured him? Do you even drink from him?"

I shuffled awkwardly and changed back to English. "I would kindly appreciate it if you spoke in English when my fiancé is around. Anything you don't want to say in front of him is probably not your concern."

Mae gritted her teeth, but consented. "Of course. My apologizes, David." There was a moment of silence before Mae asked, "So, you two are getting married?"

"Yes," I eagerly responded. "You know, Mae, you should come to the wedding!"

"Really?" She seemed surprised, but at least a little happy. "I would love to come, thank you."

"She should stay with us too," David volunteered, "Let's discuss this inside."

An hour later, Mae was staying in our guestroom and David and I were together in bed. "I think your friend likes me," he said brazenly.

"Don't let Mae fool you, she's probably just pretending to like you."

David scoffed, "Are you sure my brilliant physical appearance isn't fooling her? She's probably so infatuated with my looks that she might jump on me at any point."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Keep dreaming."

Smirking, he poked my cheek. "Getting jealous?"

I swatted his hand away. "No."

"You know I only dream about loving you," he sighed, but then quickly sat up, "Speaking of which, we should do a little lovemaking before it gets too late." He began to straddle me, but I pushed him off.

"I'm not going to have sex with you while my friend is in the next room. She's a vampire, she can probably hear this entire conversation- let alone the noises we would make… Nope. Definitely no lovemaking while she is with us."

David frowned, but nodded his head as if he understood. Then he turned towards the door and said, "Alright, I'm going to tell her to leave."

"David!" I shrieked.

"Only kidding. I guess we'll just have to be celibate."

"It's only until the wedding."

David grumbled a little but then collapsed into bed. A few minutes later he was asleep, so I left the room to talk with Mae. She had heard the entire conversation. "I'm not bashful, Juliana. Sleep with him for all I care."

"That's awkward, Mae. This entire conversation is awkward. Let's talk about something else."

Mae paused for a moment, but then admitted, "I really missed traveling with you, Juliana."

I smiled. "I missed you too. You know, under different circumstances, I would definitely have considered traveling with you again." Immediately, Mae's face lit up as if there were some fireworks going off in there. It was almost as though those were the words she had been waiting for all night. "But, now that I'm with David, I can't." That just seemed to kill her. Whatever light had been behind her eyes from before was gone. She didn't say anything, she just nodded.

Eventually, Mae said, "I'm going to go and feed. Want to come with?"

I shook my head. "No thanks, I'm full. Don't bite any of my wedding guests."

She grinned, "I'll try to refrain." But as she was leaving, I happened to catch just a bit of a spark in her eye. I tried not to think about what that could mean.

Weeks passed, and everything was going smoothly. Grandma Bia finished a stunning gown for me that even Mae was jealous of. She was partially through with David's suit, and offered to make Mae a bridesmaid dress. Thankfully, Mae refused- she already had plenty of suitable dresses. Although Grandma Bia was an excellent seamstress, I knew she would have trouble creating two dresses and a suit in a matter of a few weeks.

Our wedding was going to be outside, by the river, under the stars. I couldn't imagine a more perfect wedding. The thought of it gave me chills. I was ready to marry David.

Soon there was only three nights until the wedding. I knew it was only a matter of time before something went wrong, since my life had never been so carefree as it had been the past few years.

I was at Grandma Bia's house when suddenly the door blew open with a thunderous _bang! _Grandma Bia nearly jumped out of her chair, and I shot up out of mine in case I needed to defend her. But when I reached the door, nobody there. I took a few steps outside and still couldn't see anyone, and when I turned back around, Godric was standing right behind me.

"Godric! You scared me half to death!" I cried as I grabbed my chest as if to settle down a beating heart. Godric just smirked.

"Juliana, it has been too long."He embraced me in a warm hug and then kissed me on the lips. I had to quickly pull away before I gave him the wrong impression. I wasn't the single, loose girl he had left behind. Now, I was in a committed relationship, and I was determined to keep it that way.

I glanced around but didn't see Eric or Katarina. "Where is Eric? And Katarina?"

Godric pulled away from me and sighed. "Eric will be here in the next few nights. He had some issues he needed to resolve, but I was impatient. I missed you."

"I missed you too," I replied. It was then that he saw the wedding dress. I decided to explain before he could ask. "I'm getting married."

Godric's head quickly snapped back to me. "What?"

"His name is David. He's very sweet."

Godric didn't answer quickly, but made this weird guttural noise that was more like a growl than a groan. Eventually he said, "Where is he?"

"Back at home."

Godric looked around. "I thought this was your home."

"I moved in with him. He's a human."

Now Godric really did groan, but I stopped him before he could say what Mae had said earlier. "I know what you are going to say, and you can just save it. I'm going through with this, not because it's the wisest decision to make-"

"Which it isn't," Godric quickly interjected.

I ignored him. "But it is what my heart wants. And I can't help that."

I could see that Godric was clearly displeased. He had gone from being ecstatic at seeing me again to almost reviling my presence. He crossed his arms and murmured, "Unfortunately, I know how that feels."

I knew he was refereeing to the fact that he loved me, but I couldn't handle that kind of tension in my life right now. I was about to walk down the aisle in less than a week, and I was not in the mood to handle any jealousy Godric might have towards the current situation.

"Whether or not you approve," I began, "Is entirely your personal opinion, which you are entitled to. However, I would be very pleased if you, Eric, and Katarina came to the wedding."

I could see Godric grinding his teeth slightly, but when he saw the sincere look on my face, I knew he would be unable to say no. "I would love to come," he finally sighed.

"I don't want you to come if you are going to be a negative influence. This is supposed to be one of the biggest days of a girl's life."

"This is the third time you've been engaged, Juliana. I would think by now you would be used to it," He said spitefully.

I narrowed my green eyes at him and spat, "This is the first time that I've chosen to be engaged, Godric. Not an arranged marriage or a kidnapping-rape-marriage, but a _real _marriage."

Godric cringed a little at my words, but calmly said, "I will not be a negative influence, Juliana. You have my word."

"Good. Because you were the one who said you wanted me to be happy."

Godric's eyes darted around the room, as if it were painful to look at me. "Yes, but I wanted you to be happy with me," He whispered, mostly to himself.

I groaned, and tried to change the subject before I left. "You're free to stay here, if you choose. Grandma Bia knows you so it should be alright. I'm going home."

He looked back at me, his eyes soft and caring again. "Goodnight Juliana."

I was frustrated, but still managed to smile at him. "Goodnight Godric."

I quickly returned home, and confronted Mae. It had been years since I had last seen Godric. Truly, I hadn't expected him to visit anytime soon. Not only was it perhaps the worst time in my life for him to visit, (he still had feelings for me, and I was marrying another man- that could only lead to trouble), but Mae was in the same city as him- and I knew _that _would definitely create trouble.

"WHAT?" Mae screamed when I told her the news. She began to pace back and forth, and I quickly shushed her.

"David's asleep-"

But Mae was too entranced in her own problems. "Why is he here? Why now?"

"I don't know. He just came tonight. But he's coming to the wedding too, now. I invited him."

Mae quickly shot me a vicious glare. "How could you do that to me? I can't go if he's going! He'll kill me on sight!"

"I know! I'm sorry, I forgot. But what was I supposed to say- 'Sorry, Godric, but you can't come, because one of my guests is someone you might want to kill.'" I groaned and collapsed in a chair. "I really am sorry, Mae."

Mae pressed her palm to her forehead as he entrenched herself in her thoughts. "It's fine," she finally said. "I just won't go. I'll be in town to support you, but I'll stay hidden from Godric and Eric. It will be fine."

"Are you sure? Won't that be dangerous?"

"I'll be fine," she retorted confidently, but I could tell she was still a little flustered from the news. "I'll just have to carry some silver on me and maybe a steak or two…"

"Please don't start anything, Mae. I really don't have it in me to mediate a fight again."

Mae smirked at me. "You know I wouldn't do anything like that again."

But the truth was, I didn't.

Eric arrived two nights later. He and Godric came to David's house, and I could tell they wanted to meet him. "Where's the bride-to-be?" Eric shouted from outside. I recognized his voice, but David was the one to answer the door. The Viking's big, hulking figure was almost comparable to David, so there was less intimidation happening. David glanced between Eric and Godric and me silently for a few seconds, before he pointed to Godric, "I'm guessing you're too small to be the giant blonde Viking Juliana was telling me about."

Godric didn't smile at David's joke, but instead stated, "You will let us enter."

"Godric!" I hollered at him. "Do not try to glamour my fiancé!"

David was immune to glamouring- I had only ever glamoured him once and it was to prevent him from ever being glamoured by another vampire. Instead, he turned to me and said, "I think they want to come in."

"Just let them in," I groaned. Once David invited them in, they entered in a whirlwind, leaving David standing at the door. They were clearly trying to show-off, and I didn't appreciate it. I glanced around them but didn't see Katarina. "Where is the wolf?"

"She stayed behind, by herself for now," Eric answered.

"How has she been?" I pressed.

"She's been obedient for the most part." Clearly, he didn't understand my question, since I had been inquiring about her wellbeing and not her personality, but I didn't continue to interrogate him. I introduced Godric and Eric to David, and they all shook hands like gentleman. David was friendly and sweet, as usual. Eric seemed to like him- they seemed to have surprisingly compatible personalities- but Godric seemed detached. I could tell he was making a physical and mental effort to avoid liking David. It was wrong of him, but I figured there was nothing I could do to stop it. Eventually, they left.

When David and I were in bed that night he said to me, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

That was when I remembered that our wedding was the very next night. How could I have forgotten? I suddenly became really excited.

"Of course I am," I whispered and ran my fingers along his chest. "I'm really excited."

David moaned in pleasure, "Don't do that, or you'll get me excited too. Celibacy remember?"

"What does that mean again?"

"You're naughty."

"So are you."

David laughed and kissed me. "One more night," I murmured into my lips, "And then we will be together."

"Forever."

I laughed and fells asleep in his arms. I knew I loved David. I loved him more than anything in the world.

But, as I soon realized, nothing lasts forever.


	23. Death

**AN: This is a (very) long chapter, but I'm sure you will love it. It is probably my favorite one so far. Read/Review/Favorite **

"You have a visitor," One of the guards grunted through the steel bars. I was sprawled across the cold cement floor with a pillow over my head, trying to get the sleep that I had missed during the day while I worried about the first night of trials.

"Send Nicholas in," I groaned through the pillow. I was not in the mood for dealing with his insecure, neurotic tendencies. The pressure of the trial was torturing him, but it wasn't exactly leaving me untouched either. After the prosecution had adjourned, I could practically smell the fear radiating off all twelve of the jury members. If they hadn't been vamp-haters before, they certainly were now; or, at the very least, were afraid we were going to attack their children.

The cell door creaked open, and I knew by the sound of the footsteps in my cell that Nicholas wasn't with me. Silent, calm. Definitely the opposite of Nicholas. I tilted the pillow off my eyes and found myself looking up the enormous frame of Eric.

"Ugh," Eric gasped when he saw my face. "You look like Hell."

I rubbed some of the dried blood from under my eyes and nose. "I have the bleeds. They don't provide coffins at the county jail."

"Clearly." Eric's nose was crunched up as he glanced around the tiny cell. "How can you stand it here? It is so… depressing. Why don't you just leave?"

"I can't."

Eric raised a blonde eye brow at me. "You can't be serious. Of course you can leave. You can glamour the guard, punch though a wall, or you could even bend these wimpy bars. You are 1800 years old. Don't play stupid with me." The Viking leaned against the wall of the cell and scowled at me. "So, why are you really here?"

The fact is, I had been asking myself this very question all last night. Eric was right, there were countless ways I could escape from this pathetic jail. The facility was clearly not meant to hold a vampire, and as the nights grew into weeks, and the weeks into almost a month, I was beginning to wonder what it would be like if I _couldn't _just walk right out.

"I like to think of it as an experiment testing my willpower. I mean, I have been living in America for over two centuries, pretending to be an American human. Eventually, I was bound to get caught breaking the law. Of course, this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Godric… and now he's gone. Well, what else am I going to do? Go back to my house and pretend this didn't happen? I'm on the news every night! I have lived here since 1815. Unless I just want to start all over again somewhere else, then I might as well see how this plays out."

Eric nodded slightly, and asked, "Are you mad that Godric left you?"

"Of course I'm mad, what kind of question is that? At least if I continue this trial he can see how someone with real courage deals with humans," I snapped back at him. Eric wasn't phased.

"But you haven't dealt with them, you're letting them push you through the system."

"Exactly. I didn't run away like a coward the second they came after me. Besides, those humans could learn something from this as well. Every second I comply with them is a second more then they expect. Eventually, they are just going to realize that I mean them no harm."

Still unconvinced, Eric shook his head. "Patience will not win your case. They are going to send you to prison for as long as they possibly can. You could even get the death penalty."

"I'm confident that won't happen."

"Are you really? And even if you didn't, could you imagine spending the rest of your life in here… eternity?"

I found my eye subconsciously flickering around the room before I focused back on Eric. "Why are you here?" I finally asked him. Nobody had visited me so far- not that I was expecting anyone to- so I was a little concerned to see Eric.

"I thought you wouldn't mind some vampire company."

Did he think I was stupid? "Don't pretend, Eric."

It was at that moment Eric pulled out a small black box and tossed it to me. When it was in my hands, I realized it was a Flip Video Camera. I pressed the play button and watched as several girls began to laugh.

_Did you get the beer? _

_No, but I did find this at my Dad's house. _

_Vodka! You said beer!_

_Shut up, at least we can get fucked up tonight. Pour it in that water bottle. _

_Where are they guys? They're going to love this._

Seconds later the guys that I had the displeasure of meeting during the prom appeared on the shaky screen. They took turns passing around the bottle of water. They were giggling, shouting, and occasionally kissing. After a few minutes, the recording stopped.

"How did you get this?"

Eric smirked. "You know how I am with ladies. Those girls _loved _me."

"You're disgusting!" I snapped, but then glanced back down at the camera. "But thanks, Eric. This is really very nice of you… very unlike you. Did Godric force you to do this?

"Come on Juliana- You know Godric wouldn't have asked me to stay here to do this. I did this because I wanted to. I know Godric would be helping you as much as he could, if he could." I rolled my eyes in disbelief, but Eric just sighed. "He really does care about you Juliana. I know it. You know it. It's not really a secret to anyone."

"Well, thanks Eric. I really do appreciate this. You probably just saved me from prison. I mean, this _proves _they were drinking, and that they lied about it in court, and that the police conducted a faulty investigation. This is amazing."

Eric grinned. "You're welcome. I guess that's what siblings are for- even if we're not really siblings."

"I know you probably want to be back in Louisiana by now. If you leave now you can be back before dawn," I told him.

"Will you be alright for tomorrow?"

Laughing, I said, "I am a big girl. I'll be fine."

Eric nodded, and slowly lifted himself off the wall and began walking out of the cell. The guard quickly walked back over to me and slammed the door shut. I sighed and leaned against the bars. "You know, Eric, I want to apologize for all those times I tried to kill you. You're really not that terrible."

The vampire grinned and continued to walk away. "Wait!" I called after him, and he turned around and walked back over to the bars.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to apologize for trying to kill me, too?"

Eric's smile shrunk. "No."

"Why not?"

The Viking looked slightly confused, as if he expected me to know something that I didn't. Finally, he said, "Because I _can't_ kill you, Juliana."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Well, _I_ know that. You're definitely not as strong as me, but you could at least apologize like I did."

Eric stared at me for a second, and then laughed. "You don't know? I can't believe it."

That was when I realized what Eric was trying to tell me. "Oh my God… did Godric compel you?"

"That's why I can't kill you; not that you're _stronger _than me," Eric said with a loud laugh. He began to walk away again, but I just started shouting after him.

"Excuse me? I am stronger than you! And now that you told me that, I can kill you without even worrying about you killing me!"

The vampire was already leaving the cell block when he shouted back, "Good luck on your case, Juliana!"

But I wasn't even worried about that case anymore. I knew I was going to win.

***Centuries Ago***

I knew David was dead from the second I saw him. He was sprawled, face down on the floor of the kitchen, with a puddle of water next to him. A glass was shattered not to far from him. There was no blood, so it just looked like he had dropped dead while drinking.

I collapsed next to him and turned his body over to see his beautiful face. But it wasn't beautiful anymore, death had taken that from him. He was stiff with rigor mortis, and his face was starting to look a little puffy.

Sobbing, I buried my face into his chest, as I wrapped my arms around him. I couldn't believe it, even though I was touching him with my own hands. There was no pulse- the blood was still in his veins. It felt like a weight was pushing me to the ground, and although I tried to stand and move away from his corpse, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just wanted to die right there, with him.

Suddenly, I felt Mae behind me. "Oh my God," she whispered. I felt her hand on my shoulder, and then she pulled me into her, so I could at least hug something that was undead. I couldn't speak to her, all I could do was coke out one sob after another. I was a wreck, and rightly so. The man I loved lay dead on my wedding night.

Mae was stroking my hair, but I could not be consoled. I randomly had the urge to vomit, so I darted out of her grasp and ran outside to throw up. Mae followed me out there. "What happened, Juliana?" she asked tenderly, not wanting to upset me any more than I already clearly was.

"I-I-I don't k-know," I stuttered over my words and tears. "I j-just…" I couldn't even finish my sentence before I broke down again. Mae grabbed me, and let me lean on her. I couldn't even stand. I was so depressed, and the thought of knowing David was dead just a few feet away from me was too much to bear.

"You're going to be alight," she whispered to me, "I'll take care of you again."

"I-I'm not going to be a-alright, M-Mae!" I shouted at her, suddenly scrambling away. "D-D-David is- is dead. I want to die too!"

"Don't say that Juliana," she warned, but it was too late. I tried to pull away from her, but she still had a firm hold on my hand. "Don't."

I roughly pushed into her, causing her to fly at least a yard or two back and hit the ground hard. Then, I ran off into the woods, looking for something that would be suitable for a makeshift stake . I heard Mae running behind me, but I didn't care. I was determined to die, and that's all I could think about. Finally, I found a piece of wood that would suffice, and as I held it out in front of me, Mae wrenched it from my hands. "You will not end yourself!" She cried. "I know you feel sad, Juliana, but death is not the answer!"

"It is the only answer!" I screamed back at her, my voice radiating the furry and utter pain that I felt.

"No, Juliana, there is another." She grabbed my shoulders as if the settle me down. "Who killed him?"

"No-no one killed him," I stammered, but suddenly realized that she had a point. David was in great physical condition, there was no logical reason for him to just drop dead.

Mae lowered her voice, so that what she was about to say wouldn't startle me any more than absolutely necessary. "There was a smashed glass next to his corpse, Juliana. I think he was poisoned."

I had to sit down. Poisoned? Why would anyone want to poison David? He had no enemies that I was aware of.

But I had enemies. I had a lot of enemies.

"Why would someone poison him- that's a very human way to kill someone."

Mae thought for a second, but then she put it all together. "Unless it was a vampire who wanted to make it look like a human had killed him."

"Godric," I breathed.

Mae nodded, as if I had said exactly what she was thinking. "You told me he was jealous of David, because you chose him. Isn't that right?" I shook my head, in complete disbelief. Why would Godric take away the one person who had ever brought me unconditional happiness and love? I knew Godric could be cruel, but never had I imagined him to resort to this level of pure evil. He had killed an angel- my angel.

I stood up and we ran back to the house. I started to cry again when I saw his body just lying there on the ground, but I approached him and grabbed his hand. Gently, I kissed his finger before I bit into it. It didn't taste the same as it had before, now it was tainted. I pulled away and turned to Mae. "Cyanide," I whispered. "It tastes like almonds."

Mae nodded her head, but was slow to respond. "What are you going to do now?"

I had no idea.

The wedding was suppose to start two hours later, but I had Mae glamour all of the invited guests so that they would not come. I was too depressed to talk to Grandma Bia, so I just blew into her house and out- taking the wedding dress with me. Then, I washed my face at the edge of the river and waited for Godric and Eric to arrive.

I glanced down at the white gown. It seemed to have lost some of its luster since I had last seen it. The stars seemed to twinkle less brightly, and the river was more dark and somber as well. I felt the two vampires approach before I saw them. "Do you think I look pretty?" I asked softly. I was sitting in the grass, but I knew they could still see me.

After a moment, Godric replied, "I think you look beautiful."

My emerald eyes flickered up to Godric. "Do you think David will like it?"

Godric looked down for a second and then said in a faintly sardonic tone, "I'm sure he will."

I stood up and walked towards the two vampires. My fists clenched, but I tried to hide it by burying it in the folds of my dress. "Really?" I questioned, my voice turning sharp with anger.

Eric realized that something was wrong because he took a step back. But I was focusing all my attention on Godric, and he knew it. Godric's dark eyes narrowed on me, and I stopped only a few feet away from him. "Of course he would," Godric said firmly, his voice leaving no room for doubt, "David will think you're gorgeous."

"He would think that, wouldn't he?" I spat back, and I became aware of a warm, blood-tear running down my cheek. "He would think that if he were alive, right?"

The Viking's face clearly displayed his surprise, and he quickly looked towards Godric with wide eyes and his mouth ajar. Godric, on the other hand, seemed less surprised. "David is dead?" he asked in a tone that lacked any particular emotion.

"Do not take me for a fool, Godric. You knew very well that he was dead when you walked in here."

Godric glanced around the empty field. "Well, I figured something was awry when we were the only guests at your wedding."

"Oh, don't you dare pretend like you are innocent to this," I snarled as I pulled out the empty vial from my lace sleeve. I held it up so that both vampires could see the tiny glass object.

"That is not mine," Godric quickly stated.

"Of course not," I said snidely, "because I found it in Eric's coffin."

"That's not mine," Eric instantly retorted, his blue eyes growing wider by the second. Evidently, he was so nervous after being caught red-handed, that he was surely not going to take ownership of the vial now.

I turned back to Godric. "You clearly do not think very much of me," I began as I tugged the rubber stopper off the lid of the vial and sniffed what was left of its toxic contents, "if you thought that I was so naïve as to not recognize the taste of cyanide in the blood of a corpse."

"That. Is. Not. Mine." Godric repeated, his voice growing louder and more abrasive with each syllable.

I chucked the glass container into the river with as much force as I could muster. "You killed the man I loved," I snarled at Godric.

"I did not kill David."

I pointed at Eric. "You were so jealous that I loved someone other than you, that you had Eric poison him on the eve of my wedding!"

Godric released a long sigh. "You are insane with grief, and you are looking for a scapegoat. But I am innocent, Juliana. You know me better than that. My only desire is for you to be happy."

Rage had me nearly shaking, and in that instant I wanted nothing more then a wooden stake. "I am so angry I could kill you," I hissed at Godric. We were so close together that under different circumstances he could have easily kissed me. But right now that was the absolute last thing that would happen. "The only thing that would make me happy is if I didn't see you for the next… the next 200 years!"

It was the first number that popped into my head, but it sounded fairly low in retrospect. In that instant, I could have easily gone without seeing Godric for the next millennia, and it still would have been too soon.

Godric's brows furrowed in sadness, and he opened his mouth as if to say something to stop me. But he paused for a second, and then said, "As you wish, Juliana." Then, he turned around and darted into the woods. After a moment, Eric ran out after him. Then, I was alone.

I stayed alone by the river for only a minute before Mae approached. "I saw the whole thing," she told me, "I am so sorry Juliana."

"It's fine," I grunted.

"We should leave," she said, her voice still soft and consoling. She reached her hand down, and I took it so she could help pick me up.

"I just need to settle some affairs here before we depart," I replied wearily. The last thing I wanted to do was start over again, but I knew I would not be able to stay in Yorkshire without David- it just wouldn't be the same.

"Of course, Juliana. I will assist you." Mae hugged me. "I am so sorry about your human."

We returned to the house where Mae had covered David's body. We hadn't alerted any humans to his death; instead, leaving it up to them to discover on their own. I could only imagine what they would think of me- that I had poisoned sweet, young David before our wedding and fled. The very idea of that made me cringe.

"Do you want to keep this?" Mae held up David's watch.

"Yes."

"Alright. How about these?" Mae lifted two gold cufflinks up with her delicate fingers.

"Yes."

"What about this?" She held up the throw blanket for our bed.

"Yes."

"How about his socks?" Mae asked, her voice hinting at a biting sarcasm. "Do you want those too?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." I retorted angrily. "What's your problem, Mae? If you do not want to help me, then you can just go."

"I want to help you Juliana, but this is ridiculous. You have yet to discard any of this human's belongings. How are you going to carry all these items when we travel?"

"This human's name was David, and he was my lover for three years."

"Exactly, Juliana. What is three years to you? You are 900 years old."

"Those were the best years of life, Mae."

Finally she consented, "We can bring them, I suppose, as long as you carry them."

It was almost dawn by the time we left, so Mae and I only ran to the next town over and stayed there. I cried myself to sleep and woke up early. All I could think about at night was David, and every once in a while I would hear Godric's voice in my head: _I am innocent, Juliana. You know me better than that. _

As much as the thought of Godric caused me terrible rage- there was something about the way he had looked at me that made me question everything. That nagging curiosity had kept me up at night, and so I decided to prove that Godric had done what I had accused.

I left before Mae had awoken and ran into the city._ My only desire is for you to be happy. _"Shut up, Godric," I mumbled to myself.

The first human I ran into I asked, "Is there an apothecary around?"

"A what?" He responded wearily. I could tell he wasn't the brightest, but I wasn't making my question easier by using a term that was older than his great grandparents.

"A- a pharmacy," I self-corrected.

"Oh… right. Well, Mr. Burnside is a pharmacist and he has a shop down in Wickenburg," he nodded his head in the appropriate direction.

"Thank you very much," I quickly replied before hurrying off down the road.

A short man with a large monocle smiled at me when I entered the store. It was small, practically a closet lined with shelves of medicines and drawings of the human anatomy. From behind an oak desk, Mr. Burnside said, "G'day, and how can I help you?"

"I have an inquiry about cyanide."

"Oh, I'm sorry, poppet, we're all sold out a' that stuff. Ain't exactly our most popular remedy for high blood pressure. But, I have something right o'er here that will slow the blood just as well-"

"Actually, I'm only interested in cyanide. Will you tell me if a boy, about my age, with blue tattoos and brown hair purchased some recently?"

He bit his lip. "I'm afraid not."

"Well, perhaps it was a tall man, nearly a giant I would say, with long blonde hair and blue eyes?"

"No, I'm sure I would a remembered someone like that."

"Oh. Well then, could you tell me who exactly purchased cyanide recently?"

"Hmm… making the old head work, ain't ya? Well, I do believe it was a woman, oriental- you know, with long dark hair and dark eyes- very pretty, too. Yes, she purchased the last of my cyanide."

I left the pharmacy without another word, too stunned to even begin to comprehend what I had just been told. I couldn't bear to return home until I had a reasonable idea of what I was feeling- furry and guilt mostly, but even identifying those two emotions was hard. How could I have allowed this to happen? I let Mae come into David's home, I let her entire our lives and destroy them. Then, I let her poison my relationship with Godric and Eric and then called her my friend? What had I done?

I cried for hours, furious with myself for being so naïve. But then I realized that I wasn't to blame. I was not the one to kill David- that was Mae. Mae took the man I loved away from me- and then she had proceeded to isolate me from everyone else who cared about me. She was evil, but she was also very smart, and that was a combination that I hadn't anticipated.

I was cleaning my face in a stream when I saw a fallen branch. It was small, but I had the perfect plan for it. I began to whittle the wood down with my nails, making sure the end was especially sharp. I had a special purpose for it tonight, and I wanted it to be perfect.

I approached Mae around midnight. She was lounging in a chair but stood when I entered.

"Are you finally ready to leave?" she asked in her normal, conversational tone. But my emotions were on a whole different level, and I found her to be unbearably egotistical.

Shivering a little with anger I hissed, "I know what you did, Mae."

Surprisingly, she didn't seem alarmed. "And what is that?" she retorted evenly.

I cocked an eye brow at her- was she really being serious? She knew what she had done, that part was clear. It's not like Mae accidently poisoned my human lover, and it just-so-happened to get blamed on Godric's jealousy.

"You murdered David."

Mae didn't falter. She didn't seem surprised that I had discovered the truth, nor did she seem worried. She just seemed cold.

"Yes?"

I thought I was about to explode. "What do you mean 'yes'? I know you killed him!" I was approaching her slowly, and Mae held out her hand as if to stop me from getting any closer.

"I know I killed him too," She answered, "That's why I said yes."

I didn't get any closer to her, but instead put my hands up to my forehead as if to keep all this information from pouring out of my skull. Why was she taking responsibility for this atrocity? Why wasn't she even trying to weasel her way out of it? I couldn't understand her actions now, any more than I could comprehend her motives then.

Frustrated blood tears made lines down my cheeks. I did not bother to wipe them away.

Mae's voice softened a little, "I can see you're clearly upset, Juliana. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow night to leave."

What? Did she honestly believe I would still travel with her after what she had done? "Mae! You are insane! You killed my fiancé! I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm going to kill you!"

I was being perfectly sincere, and Mae evidently did not believe me. Laughing slightly, Mae said, "Juliana, you aren't going to kill me. I did what was best for you. Do you really think a human can protect you better than I? You are safer from danger with me than you would ever be with him."

"David never knew any danger, Mae. He was the sweetest, most gentle man I had ever met. I loved him, and you killed him!" My voice was wavering with emotion to the point where I could barely choke out the words from the tears. Mae did not have that problem.

Coldly she stated, "He was just a human, Juliana. There are millions more of them."

"There was only one David."

Mae shrugged, as if the conversation were boring her. "I didn't realize how much that human meant to you-"

Before she could give a half-hearted apology I snapped, "He was my fiancé, obviously he meant a lot to me!"

"Well, be that as it may, we can still find you a replacement blood-sack in any town we stop in while we are traveling, so it's really not that important."

As if it wasn't painfully obvious before, now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Mae was somewhere between narcissistic and sociopathic. I knew she didn't care about the feelings of others, especially not mine, and doubted that she even had feelings for herself.

I could feel the wooden stake lining the sleeve of my dress. The wood rubbed against my arm, but I found comfort in the sensation. I knew I was going to kill Mae, I don't think my heart could bear the loss without any justification, but I just wanted to know everything first.

"Why did you frame Godric?" I asked.

Mae narrowed her eyes at the name. "Ugh, that vampire. He took you from me after I practically raised you. I mean, look at you! You are who you are because of me. Had I not taken you in as a fledgling vampire, you would surely have died."

"Godric is my maker, not you."

"I know that. But what has Godric done for you? He had only caused you pain and suffering. At least I helped raise you."

"You have caused me just as much- no, more- misery than he has!"

"I was just giving him what he deserved. You robbed me of my revenge last time, I figured pitting you against him would at least give me the satisfaction of knowing that I took you away from him this time."

I had heard enough. My intentions hadn't changed since I walked into the room- if anything, they had intensified. At least now I had heard Mae's side of the story. She had been playing with me this entire time, like a cruel toddler with an old toy. She could find another young vampire to be her companion if she wanted, but no. Although Mae knew I wasn't going to blindly follow her anymore, she refused to let me go. She had come into my life for the final time with a premeditated, malicious intent. I wasn't about to let her walk out of my life again unscathed.

I pulled the stake out of my sleeve, but Mae just laughed. "You're going to try to kill me?" She barked incredulously, "As if you could. You don't have the nerve."

"The fact that you say that," I hissed at her, taking a step closer, "Just proves how little you actually know about me. I may not have the nerve, Mae, but I have the rage. And I'll be damned if I don't remove you from my life permanently."

Mae held up her arms, as if in defeat. But her voice alone reflected how little she thought of me: "Do it, Juliana," she taunted me, "Kill me. Look the woman who taught you what it means to be a vampire in the eyes while you stake her. Or do you lack the courage to do even that?"

I ran towards her as fast as I could, with the stake raised above my head. I had her chest in my sights, and I was visualizing plunging the stake into her heart. Everything else seemed to fade besides that vision, and so it was easy for Mae to overpower me.

I hardly saw her move- one nanosecond she was in front of me, about to meet the true death, and the next she was gone- when I felt myself soaring through the air. The stake was wrenched out of my hand, and she had spun me around so quickly that I landed against the wall with almost enough force to have been pushed through it. "I'm faster than you, Juliana. And I'm stronger. You just entered a fight that you can't win."

I felt a flash of air move behind me, and I quickly rolled to the side before Mae could stake me. She landed next to me, and reached out with her left hand to hold me down. Her long fingers grasped the collar of my dress, but I pulled away from her before she could get a firm grip. My dress ripped down the front, but I didn't care. Self preservation had taken over, and my mind was being ruled by adrenaline and furry. I wanted Mae to die, and I figured she wanted the same thing to happen to me.

Mae had the stake in her right hand, and she kept lunging at me as we danced around the room. I dodged all her blows, and eventually was able the wrap my hand around her wrist that held the stake. She hissed into my face, and kicked me away from her. I tumbled to the ground, and Mae leapt on top of me. I threw both of my hands up, and was able to turn the stake so that it was a barrier between the two of us. We were both pushing on the wood with all our force, but I was slowly losing my strength. I knew Mae was older than me, bigger than me, stronger than me, faster than me, and wiser than me. She had the vicious killer instinct that I lacked. But despite those differences, I had something inside of me that Mae didn't have, that I can't describe. Something in my gut was telling me that I could win- that I was winning- and I refused to let logic crush my hope.

There was a cracking sound as the force we were exerting on the stake caused it to snap in two pieces. Mae lost her balance when the stake broke, and she collapsed on top of me. I, however, was prepared. I still had a firm hold on my half of the stake, and I quickly twisted it up, towards her stomach. Mae landed right on top of it.

She gasped in pain as the stake pierced through her lower rib cage. I quickly moved out from beneath her, and stood up. Mae lay on the floor, writhing in pain, as her hands groped for the small piece of stake that was only inches away from her heart. I leaned over her and grabbed her face. "I am not a coward," I growled, and then reached down to her stomach where blood was already beginning to cover the broken piece of wood.

"No, no, no! Juliana, please, don't-" But it was much too late for that. I grasped the wood in my hand and thrust it up to her most vital organ. I watched as blood spurted from her mouth like a geyser, drenching me in her vile liquids. Her face and body immediately bloated, and then spontaneously combusted in a bloody mess of skin, muscle, organs, and bones.

I was left standing alone, with only the stub of a stake in my hand, covered in what was left of the cold-hearted creature I once called my friend.


	24. Queen

**AN: As usual, sorry for the long wait. This is the second to last chapter, and my goal is still to finish this story before the new season of True Blood starts (so hopefully the last chapter up this week?). THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER TO HAVE A "PAST" PORTION. It ends with the last time Godric and Juliana see each other before the beginning of the very first chapter. This will make more sense after the chapter has been read, hopefully, but I tried to keep this story as un-raunchy as I could manage. So if you wanted something more explicit, then sorry! Thank you for all your support and patience. Read/Fav/ Alert/ Review- I really do appreciate it!**

I sauntered into the courtroom with the confidence of a queen. Despite my handcuffs, police escorts, and hideous uniform, I felt untouchable. I knew the end was near, and I was ready to embrace my freedom once again.

I sat down next to Nicholas, who for once, actually didn't appear nervous. He wasn't exactly self-confident, but at least he wasn't his typically anxious self. I elbowed him lightly and grinned at him, and he even smiled back at me.

When Judge Riviera entered, we began our case. As Nicholas warmed up the jury, I could feel an excited energy pulsing through my veins. I couldn't wait to be free from this human madness, and I just wished Nicholas would show the court Eric's tape and get this entire mess over with. But I knew what his strategy was, and I would just have to wait.

Michael Smith, the boy who I had allegedly assaulted, was the first witness called to the stand.

"Mr. Smith," my attorney began, "You testified last night that my client, quote, "threw me across the room with just one of her fingers. She attacked me for no reason, and caused me to tweak my back. That vampire could have killed me"; end quote."

Michael nodded. "Yes, sir. And I meant every word."

"That's good, since you are under oath. And just to refresh your memory, lying under oath is a crime: perjury."

Judge Riviera interrupted, "The witness should be aware of the consequences of lying under oath already, Mr. Pratt. You can move on now."

"Of course, Your Honor," Nicholas apologized, hardly skipping a beat. "Now, Mr. Smith, I remember high school well. And I remember prom being quite fun. Was your prom fun- up until the incident with my client?"

Michael shrugged. "Well, yeah. Prom was fun until that vampire crashed it."

"Fair enough," Nicholas said with a grin while he adjusted his suit jacket. "Were you intoxicated that night, Mr. Smith?"

The boy froze for a second, but quickly recovered. I doubted the jury even noted the slight tensing of his shoulders- but I did. "Of course I wasn't intoxicated. I'm a good Christian. I stay away from drugs and that stuff."

"Alcohol is a drug too, Mr. Smith. Were you avoiding alcohol that day- or did you just happen to forget about your good Christian values for prom night?"

Michael narrowed his eyes hatefully at Nicholas, and glanced worriedly over to his lawyer and then to the jury. "I was not drinking that night. I don't drink."

Nicholas leaned against the whiteness stand. "Not a beer? Some wine coolers? Or, maybe, vodka?"

"No," the kid hissed back.

"Very well then. I would like to call my client to the stand."

"Ms. Sabbas?" Judge Riviera asked. I quickly shot Nicholas a confused look. I wasn't afraid to be on the stand and tell my side of the story- the truth- but I knew the jury was afraid. They hated me because I was a vampire, and I doubted that even the end of this trial would change that. I just hoped that at the end of the trial they would at least see that I was innocent, and deliver a verdict that reflected that.

The bailiff grabbed my arm and helped me to the witness stand. I pledged to tell the truth and took my seat. "Ms. Sabbas, how old are you?" Nicholas asked me.

"How is that a relevant question?"

"Please, answer the question, Ms. Sabbas."

"I am 1800 years old, give or take a few decades."

Nicholas's eyes widened, as did the jury's. He turned to them as he responded, "That is very old. I am sure you have lived quite an eventful life."

"It's had its moments," I answered dryly.

"Have you ever been to Prom?"

"Not until the night in question, no. I was never formally educated, so I never had the opportunity to attend a high school prom."

"Many human girls relate prom to their wedding night. Was it about that joyous for you?"

Nicholas did not know about my wedding night… well, nights. None of them had been joyous. The correct answer, then, would have been "yes" they were all equally joyous- if by that you mean nightmarish. "It was quite an enjoyable experience, up until I was shot in the back. I believe the court has already seen that video."

"They have. Will you describe the events that lead up to you being shot?"

"Yes. I was dancing when a group of four boys approached me. They were clearly intoxicated, and were stumbling around with a water bottle filled with vodka. One of them tripped and spilled the alcohol on my back, and then began to harass me. He grabbed my hand and I pushed him away from me in order to protect myself. He fell onto his friends and then shouted to the crowd that I was a vampire. I was quickly surrounded by security, and although I had meant no harm to anyone, I was shot in the back."

"Was one of those drunk boys Michael Smith- the boy who just testified before you?"

"Yes."

"Will you point to all four boys who were drinking?"

I reached my arm out and pointed to the group of four boys who were sitting in the spectator pews, and Nicholas said, "Will the court note that Juliana Sabbas identified Michael Smith, Jordan Hemmingway, Tyler Johnson, and Kyle Lee as the four drunken boys who were harassing her. Thank you, Ms. Sabbas you may return to our table."

"Who is your next witness, counselor?" Judge Riviera asked.

"Officer Mark Warren, Your Honor."

"Officer Warren, please approach the witness stand." He was swiftly sworn in and seated.

I had never seen Officer Warren before in my life. He was rather young, probably mid to late thirties, with blonde hair and green eyes. But I could see in those green eyes a sense of worry and hatred, and I knew he was nervous about where these questions were heading.

"Obviously there has been some conflict between the witnesses and my client on the sobriety of the parties involved. Will you please tell the jury what exactly you noted in your police report, Officer?"

"Well, of course. The official report does not indicate that any of the four boys mentioned were under the influence of any drugs, including alcohol, at the time of the incident. The report has already been submitted as evidence."

"Does the report not indicate that because the boys were sober, or because it was just omitted from the official report?"

"Sobriety was omitted from the official report."

Nicholas raised his eyebrows and shot a confused look at the jury, which they mimicked. It was somewhat entertaining how easily the jury was influenced. "Is that proper procedure, officer?"

"Yes. Unless the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the witnesses are under the use of narcotics, or if a breathalyzer test has been admitted."

"So, correct me if I am mistaken, but if you did not include anything about the sobriety of those four boys in your report, then it was because you could not detect even the slightest indication that they had been drinking?"

"That is correct."

"Did you recover a water bottle at the scene that may have been filled with vodka?"

"No."

"So, to the best of your knowledge, none of the four boys were drinking?"

"Yes."

Nicholas walked back over to our table and retrieved the DVD of the video Eric had recovered. "Then I would like to enter this video as evidence, Your Honor. It was taken the night of prom by some girls who knew Misters Smith, Hemmingway, Johnson, and Lee."

The judge nodded and said, "Play the disc, bailiff."

The courtroom was silent as the bailiff inserted the DVD, but noise level quickly began to rise as the video began. The jury and the spectators gasped in appalled astonishment when they saw the boys drinking from the water bottle filled with vodka. After that, I knew it would only get better. Soon, the court became so loud with chatter that Judge Riviera had to slam her mallet ten times before the noise even dropped to a loud whisper.

"So, Officer Warren," Nicholas began with a sly smirk spread from ear to ear, "You said that there was no indication they had been drinking?"

"Excuse me, Your Honor," The Prosecution shouted above the crowd, "In light of this new evidence, the state would like to dismiss all charges except for trespassing. We do not wish to waste any of the courts time."

"Yes!" I breathed in relief.

Judge Riviera slammed her mallet several more times until the court had settled down. "Ms. Sabbas, all of your charges have been dropped with the exception of trespassing. How do you plead?"

For the first time since the video had played, the room was completely silent. Nicholas motioned for me to stand up, so I did, even though it took me a moment to think of how to respond. Finally I said, "Guilty."

The judge nodded her head, and pulled her microphone closer to her as she considered what she was about to say. "Since your trespassing charge was a misdemeanor, the most time you would serve in jail is two years. However, since I do not believe that the Cook County jail is capable of holding vampires at this time, I will not deliver that punishment. And, since I doubt anyone would appreciate a vampire doing service around this community, I hereby sentence a 1500 dollar fine on you, Juliana Sabbas, for trespassing on a high school prom. Ms. Sabbas, you are free to go."

***Centuries Ago***

I traveled around the world for decades, searching for Godric and Eric and never coming close to finding them. I always seemed to be a country behind them. Even when I tried to track the wolves they were tracking, I would only find their remains.

The guilt seemed to be devouring me. I wanted to tell Godric I was sorry, that I had been stupid and grief-stricken and that he had been right all along. But he knew that already, and I think that was part of the problem. He was purposely giving me distance, because that is what I had demanded from him. I couldn't help but also think he was giving me the cold-shoulder.

I was passing through Romania on my way to Bulgaria when I got thirsty. All I wanted was a little bit of blood, something a human would not even miss, when I saw something peculiar in a little rural village- a small girl, only six years old, who looked just like Katarina. She was playing with some other village children in a stream, kicking water at her friends and shrieking when she got wet. I crept closer to them, but she didn't notice my presence until the children dispersed. As she climbed out of the stream, shivering, her big brown eyes saw me. She froze in fear, as if she had some sort of sixth-sense to detect danger or vampires or both.

"Katarina?" I asked, but the little girl just blinked. She didn't move a muscle, she just stood dead still like a deer in a forest. I was about to approach her when a young boy ran up to her shouting, "Adrianna! Mother wants you home now!"

He ran right up to the little girl, and didn't notice me until he was standing next to her. "Who are you?" He asked bluntly, not showing any amount of fear.

"My name is Juliana; I'm looking for my friend. Do you know someone named Katarina?"

The little boy smiled at me and said, "That's my mother. Follow me, I'll bring you to her."

The boy had big brown eyes like his sister, but was probably a few years older. They both looked extraordinarily like Katarina, with long, dark hair and fair skin. I wondered if her children were weres as well, but I figured she wouldn't know until they reached maturity. "My name is Aaron," he introduced. I was struck with how much he reminded me of Katarina. He was very personable and outgoing, just like Katarina had been even when I was cold to her. Meanwhile, Adrianna stayed silent and unobtrusive, hurrying ahead of her brother to their home.

When we reached a small cottage, Adrianna darted inside while Aaron walked politely with me. At the entrance, Aaron opened the swinging door and said, "Come in." As soon as I walked in, I saw her. Katarina was standing with Adrianna hiding behind her leg, and it was almost like seeing the past and the future all at once. I stopped in my tracks, in complete shock. I don't know why she surprised me so, aging was a natural part of life, but I suppose I had just never really been exposed to that kind of change before. Katarina wasn't thirteen any more- I suspected she was in her late thirties. She was tall and curvy, with wide hips and big breasts modestly hidden under a blue dress. She still had long brown hair, but it was braided up and a ribbon held any fly-aways off her face. Small wrinkles lined her big brown eyes. It had been almost twenty-five years since I had last seen her, and she had changed a lot, but I could still recognize her immediately.

Katarina's mouth was slightly open, and I knew she probably never expected to see me again. "It's me, Juliana," I said, as if she had forgotten.

"I know. You haven't changed at all," she responded, her voice hardly above a whisper. I saw her hand move to block Adrianna from my view and push the child behind her. Aaron seemed to sense the tension then, because he backed away from me and moved closer to his mother. "Take your sister outside, Aaron," Katarina demanded. Aaron looked like he was about to protest, but Katarina shot him a look that dared him to respond, and he quickly left with Adrianna.

"I'm sorry to just barge into your home like this but-" I began, but Katarina interrupted me.

"You can't be here, Juliana. You need to leave."

I was startled by the firmness in her voice. She wasn't the same teenage girl I had left with Godric and Eric so many years ago. She was a woman who could make her own decisions, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

"I mean you no harm, Katarina," I said, raising my hands slowly in a sign of peace. But when I saw a small hint of wood in the hand she had hidden behind her back, I darted towards her and grabbed her forearm. She had a foot-long stake in her hand, whittled down to a pointy tip.

"Please, Juliana! I have children!" she cried out, when she knew she had been caught. I looked into her terrified brown eyes and felt pity. I didn't know what had come over her to make her think she couldn't trust me, but I was determined to make her feel comfortable for the remainder of my visit.

I released her arm and stepped away. "Keep it, if it makes you feel safe," I told her, "But I am being perfectly honest when I say I mean you no harm. Why would you think any different? I thought we parted as friends."

Katarina held the stake in front of her, but pointed it down and away from me. Evidently, she didn't trust me. "I'm sorry, Juliana. But with Godric and Eric somewhere out there, I can't be unarmed. I need to be able to protect my children and myself."

Now I was confused. "What happened between you three? When did you last see them?"

She shrugged and rubbed one of her hands against her temple. "I don't recall, it was so many years ago. The time I spent with them is one extended, horrific blur in my memory. But I do remember the terms we parted on…" Katarina paused as if to analyze what I was thinking. When she didn't see whatever emotion she expected, Katarina asked, "…Surely they must have told you what happened?"

I shook my head, remembering how evasive Godric and Eric were when I had asked them about Katarina. _She stayed behind, by herself for now... She's been obedient for the most part. _

"I ran away a few years after you left, Juliana. I just couldn't take the killing anymore. They were murdering my people, people who had never done anyone harm." Katarina shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she had seen. "They forced me to kill people too. They didn't care about how young I was, or what I felt. They were ruthless to me. And they resented me for what I had done to you."

"What? Katarina, you didn't do anything to me."

"Didn't I? Or else, why would you have left? At least, that's what Godric and Eric believed. They blamed you leaving on my presence, and although they were not willing to let me go, they made sure my time with them was miserable."

I was appalled by their cruelty, and although it was difficult to fathom, I knew it was true. Had I not been the victim of their brutality before? I knew what they were and how they acted, and Katarina had made the right decision running away.

Katarina was silent for a few seconds while I absorbed everything she had said. I felt miserable for what I had inadvertently put her through, and Katarina seemed to finally notice. "I thought you were sent here by Godric and Eric to kill me or my children, but I can't imagine that being the case now. So, what are you doing here?" She asked me.

I sighed and said, "I honestly don't know. I was just passing though and I saw your daughter- she looks just like you, absolutely stunning- and I thought maybe you knew where Godric and Eric were."

Katarina grinned at the compliment and set her stake down on a table before resting in a chair. "I have no idea where they are because I have spent much of my life hiding from them. But… I do have something to tell you, Juliana. Something I was afraid to say to Eric myself."

I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was terrified again, and I saw that her hands were shaking. I sat down next to her and held her hands. "Don't worry, Katarina. You can tell me."

She was crying now, softly, but still crying nevertheless. "I-I was young and scared then. I was afraid Eric would kill me for just looking at him wrong." She turned her big brown eyes to me. "I lied, Juliana. I lied to him. Richard was right. I know who owned my pack. I know who branded me."

Katarina faltered as she tried to remember his name. "He was a vampire, and he was very old and powerful. Older and more powerful then you or Eric or Godric. He- he said he was a King, and he acted like one too. I remember very little about him, except that he came with wolves of his own. He said that if Richard did not agree to work for him whenever he was in Lithuania, he would exterminate the entire pack. Richard agreed, and we were all branded then. Every child born after he left was branded as well, it just became a tradition. The vampire didn't make us do anything, but we were under his control from then on. He gave Richard some of his blood and told him how to get his own, although it wasn't as powerful."

I knew instantly of whom Katarina was talking about. A King with wolves working under him? It was obviously Russell Edgington, how had I not thought of this before? But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why Godric hadn't thought of it either. After all, he had been the one to rescue me from the palace. Godric himself killed some of Russell's wolves. Surely Godric noticed the Z brands on the wolves' necks while I hadn't. But even if he had, why hadn't he alerted Eric to this lead? Was it possible that Godric didn't want Eric to know the truth about his family's slaughter? My head was spinning with questions and the lack of answers was making me sick.

"I know of the vampire of which you speak."

Katarina was taken aback. "You do?"

I nodded. "His name is Russell Edgington, and his is a dangerous man. You were right to be afraid of him. I am afraid of him as well."

Katarina smiled weakly at me, "I'm glad to have told someone. I'll let you decide if you want to tell Eric or not when you find him."

I didn't know what to do with this information now that I had it. Eric would want to know the truth, that much I was sure. The problem wasn't whether Eric wanted to know, but whether I wanted to tell him. If I found Godric and Eric again and revealed the truth, would they make me stay with them? I knew Russell personally, which would make me valuable during strategizing. But the more I thought about Eric and Godric fighting Russell, the more fearful I became. I knew how old and powerful Russell was, and I knew that he employed dozens of werewolves to protect him. How could Eric and Godric compete with that kind of power? I knew if I told them the truth, they wouldn't just let the information sit idly. They would fight Russell… and I doubted that they would win.

It was practically a century before I found Godric and Eric again. They were in America, in a state called Texas. Godric was the most powerful vampire west of the Mississippi. They lived on an enormous ranch in a grand, luxurious mansion. I could see the building from a mile away, and I could also see guards patrolling the perimeter of the property with guns. Although they were well protected from enemies, I trudged forward with confidence. I had spent too many years searching for those two to stop now.

Godric and Eric were walking along the edge of their estate, when I approached them. "Godric?" I called.

He turned to me, we were still a significant distance away from each other, and cocked his head to the side. At first, I couldn't tell if he didn't recognize me, or if he was just that shocked to see me. His eyes lit up upon the realization that I was here, and he took a half step to me before he stopped himself. I watched as he frowned, and turned away from me, suddenly darting off. "No! Godric!" I cried, and hopped over a small fence to race after him. He was fast, but I caught up to him. I grabbed a hold of his arm, but tripped in the process. We both tumbled to the ground in heap.

He was breathing heavily next to me, his eyes wide. "You've gotten faster," he told me.

I grinned. "I've been chasing you for the past century and a half."

"What do you want?"

I felt a rough hand grab my arm and heave me off Godric. It was the Viking, and he refused to release me after he had pulled me off his maker. I wrenched my arm out of his grasp with some effort, and Godric made a slight hand gesture to Eric to say that it was fine. "I- I was wrong. I know that Mae killed David; I figured it out the next night, but by then you were already gone."

Godric was silent for a moment, but then he asked, "What happened?"

I glanced around and saw that several vampires were approaching us with loaded guns- more than likely with silver bullets- who were undoubtedly Godric's new cronies. Godric waved them off, including Eric, who left reluctantly. "I hear that you are a leader now, what they call a Sherriff. I don't want to say anything to you that would put you in a position where you would have to punish me. But I will say that Mae has met the true death, and is burning in Hell for what she did to David."

Godric grabbed my hands and said softly, "Juliana, I am so sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry about what happened with Mae."

"No, Godric, I'm the one who should be apologizing. That's why I'm here. You were right, you've always been right. I'm sorry I was so quick to believe you were the culprit, when you have done nothing to hurt me in the past few centuries. I was wrong."

Godric leaned forward and kissed me, as if to say that everything were alright. But suddenly, the kiss became more intense, and it wasn't entirely Godric's doing. I had spent years searching for him again, and in that time I realized what a wonderful man he really was. Of course, we had our disagreements (some more volatile than others) but at the end of the day, he was still my maker, and had been with me for over a thousand years. I loved him.

I pulled my lips away from his and breathed, "I'm sorry, Godric. I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you want me to be."

"Juliana, you are everything I'd ever hoped you would be."

I kissed him again, and we crashed back into the grass in passionate heat. I tore his shirt off after less than a minute, and he had his fists wrapped up in my dress- the threads barely holding together- when he stopped himself; "I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do," he whispered into my ear, which he had been kissing moments before.

"I want this- I want you," I replied. "I think I've had a change of heart."

"I think I like it," Godric whispered back, and I could feel the smirk he had on his face against my check. He scooped me off the ground and carried me back to his mansion.

The next night, I woke up alone. It felt strange being alone after such an intense night of love-making. Although Godric and David were nothing alike, I couldn't help but think that David had never let me wake up by myself after sex. For someone as old as Godric, I would have expected him to be a little more considerate.

I quickly got myself dressed as I began to process what had transpired the night before. After years of searching, I had finally found him- and then had very, very passionate sex with him. That last part had not been planned. In the moment it felt right- in fact, it had felt _very _right- but now it didn't. I had wanted to apologize to Godric, not seduce him. What had I done?

But the sex had been amazing. And I was pretty sure there was a huge part of me that loved Godric. But there was an even bigger part of me that was terrified of what was happening. I was afraid to commit- nobody I had ever committed to had lasted. Was I some sort of black-widow? Or had none of my previous love interest just been "the one." Was Godric "the one"? He had certainly been around the longest. He knew all of my secrets and feelings- whether I wanted that or not- and would always be a part of my life. The thought of Godric being my soul mate made my stomach flip- and I wasn't sure that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Where was he? I ran out of the bedroom, which looked like the victim of a small tornado, and darted down the hallway. I wasn't really watching where I was going, and so of course I ran into the one person I didn't really want to see. "_Slampa_," Eric sneered in Swedish when I slammed into his back.

"You would know," I hissed back at him. "Since you're always whoring yourself out. Tell me, have you discovered a cure for that pesky illness you get when you sleep with your food? I believe some parts of the world even call it "Eric's Sickness" now, don't they?"

The Viking responded with a vicious growl and pushed me down the hallway. I rebounded swiftly, and dived at him, ready to tear him to shreds. Suddenly, Godric and several other vampires were there. "Juliana, leave Eric be."

"Are you serious?" I snapped at him.

Eric shrugged me off of him. "Juliana started it."

"Did not, _lögnare_."

Godric stood between us before we continue our brawl. "Enough with this pathetic name-calling. Juliana, may I speak with you alone?" I nodded, and the rest of the vampires left. "Please tell me it won't always be like this," Godric said, with a slight smile on his face. I did not share in his good mood.

"What do you mean?"

Godric seemed dazed, as if he were partly in some dreamy state. "Well, when we are living together. As King and Queen."

I felt my jaw drop open. "What are you talking about, Godric?"

"Look, Juliana. It is only a matter of time before I become King of Texas. And I want you next to me when that happens- as my Queen. And I don't want you and Eric to be bickering the entire time either."

I couldn't think, let alone respond fast enough for Godric. It seemed like I had missed something in one of our prior conversations. Was he plotting becoming King while he was ravaging me last night? Perhaps I missed him asking me to be his Queen while I was losing myself to him. "I-I need to think, Godric. This is all happening so fast," I mumbled as I reached for my temples.

Godric grabbed my hands, and although I knew he thought it was lovingly, it only felt possessive to me. "What is there to think about, Juliana? You found me, and now we are together again. Soon we will be the most powerful vampires in the state- and who knows where we could go from there! Everyone would be under our command, and life would be so easy. I want to share that with you."

"But-"

He hastily cut me off. "What are your reservations about this? Everything is perfect, Juliana."

"You left me," I stated. "When I woke up, you weren't there."

Godric looked confused, as if he couldn't imagine why I was bringing this up. "I had business to attend to. There are people who need me. I am a Sherriff after all."

"And someday you're going to be a King, right? Am I still going to come second then? And Eric and I are never going to get along- you would know that if you knew anything about me at all. Furthermore, when did you even ask me to be your Queen? I don't want that- I don't want to be special or powerful. I just want to be me."

"You will be you. You will just be you as a Queen."

I felt overwhelmed. My emotions were rising tenfold every second, and I was not equipped to handle it. "You aren't listening to me Godric," I shouted at him, "I don't want to be a Queen! I don't even know if I want this!" I managed to wrestle my hands out of Godric's.

Godric let his hands drop back to his sides as fists. His eyes narrowed as he asked, "What do you mean by "this"?"

"You know what I mean."

He nodded. "You mean me. You don't know if you want me." Godric clenched his jaw and turned away from me. "Why are you here then? Why would you sleep with me last night if you weren't sure? You seemed pretty sure then."

I couldn't help but shake my head. Everything was going so wrong. I didn't know what I wanted now, and it showed. "I-I didn't know."

"Are you trying to break my heart? Because you've been doing a damn good job of it ever since I met you."

I could feel blood begin to well up in my tear ducts. "I don't mean to," I whispered.

"If you don't want to be here, then just go," He gestured coldly towards the exit. "My heart can't take you any more."

And then I left. I didn't know it then, but that was the last time I would see Godric for another century. It was to be our second to last encounter- and had I known that, I'm sure our lives would have been very, very different.


	25. Stronger

**AN: Here it is: The FINAL chapter. I can't believe I managed to complete this story! Just a reminder, there is no "past" version in this section, it's only the present. All I can say for this chapter is "you knew it was coming…."**

After the case, Nicholas got to bask in the awe of the press. It was strange, because in the span of a few weeks I had watched this insecure, fledgling lawyer become a confident courtroom shark. I was proud of Nicholas, and it made me happy to see him get praised for winning such an enormous case.

Nicholas and I went to a small bar on the outskirts of Chicago to celebrate or victory. I doubted that he was much of a drinker since his tolerance was very low.

"Thank you, Juliana," he said as he set down his third gin and tonic, "For giving me a chance to represent you. Everyone wants me to be their layer now. Someone even called me to start a partnership for a law firm with him. Can you believe that? I'm just a public defender. I barely passed the BAR, I never thought this would happen to me." He was getting emotional from all the alcohol but I didn't mind since it was very entertaining.

I grinned, and cradled my fresh TrueBlood in my hands. "It's fine, Nicholas. I really should be thanking you for even trying to do this case. I know that you weren't exactly excited when you heard you were representing a vampire. But you did an excellent job and you deserve all the recognition you're getting now."

"Lets toast," Nicholas declared his voice a little louder than necessary, "to winning cases and kicking ass!" I laughed, and somewhat-less-enthusiastically clinked my glass to his.

On the TV, a local new station was covering our recent win, and the bartender recognized us. "Hey," she said, pointing to us, "You're that vampire and lawyer they're talking about on the news, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Nicholas affirmed proudly. I was a little less happy being recognized, since I knew not all humans would be pleased to hear a vampire got away with a mere "slap on the wrist."

"Congratulations. Here's some shots on the house."

She set two tequila shots down in front of us, but since I couldn't drink mine, Nicholas took both. He burped and I turned away from him. "Sorry, that was rude," He apologized bashfully.

"It's fine." It was nice to have a friend, it almost made me feel human again.

Nicholas suddenly paled, and seemed to look passed me. I turned around and saw Godric through the bar's giant windows staring right at us. "Is that him?" Nicholas asked. Even though he was straddling the fine line between drunk and wasted, he was still able to recognize the picture of Godric he had seen our first week together.

I was still looking at Godric. He didn't beckon at me, but I knew he wanted to speak to me. I sighed in frustration and turned away from him. "It is, isn't it?" As I laid eyes on Nicholas, a malicious though hit me, and I decided to act on that impulse. I leaned across the table and kissed Nicholas on the lips, trying to make it look passionate even though there was no feeling there. When Nicholas pulled away, I did not stop him. Quickly, I turned back around to see Godric, but he had turned his head to the side to avoid looking at me.

I smirked at my little action of revenge, but it vanished when Nicholas shouted at me, "Why did you do that?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Keep your voice down, we're in public."

"I don't want him to attack me!" The entire bar seemed to quiet a little at Nicholas's shouting, and I cringed at the negative attention. I wasn't trying to upset Nicholas, I was trying to upset Godric.

"He won't, trust me." But Nicholas seemed genuinely worried, and I felt bad for using him without his consent. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "I'll talk to him."

I left Nicholas at the bar and strolled to the door. Godric was still frozen at the window. "Why are you here?" I asked him. Sighing, he turned slightly to me.

"You're still trying to break my heart," he whispered.

"No, I'm trying to disappoint you like you disappointed me," I corrected.

Godric frowned and looked away from me. "I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm sorry I've failed you. I-I should have never brought you into this world. You didn't deserve that… you deserved so much better than what I gave you."

"Godric, why are you apologizing for something I've long since forgiven you of? I'm mad that you left me to defend myself in court in front of the entire country- not that you turned me into a vampire 1800 years ago."

"Because I am sorry about that- I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't have come into your life 1800 years ago, and I shouldn't have come into it a month ago. Every time I see you, I only cause you suffering."

"That's not true."

"You're too kind to me. You know what I've done to you."

"Everyone has regrets, Godric. But I don't regret you." When Godric didn't respond, I repeated my first question. "Why are you here?"

"I had to tell you some things." He reached for my hands, and I let him hold them. "I want you to know that you mean so much to me. You mean the world to me, and I am so proud of you. You have never, and you will never, disappoint me. Juliana, you are the most beautiful, clever, and strong vampire I could have ever hoped to create. I am honored to have had you in my life."

I frowned and asked, "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

Godric was slow to respond, but then he replied, "It's because I am."

I felt my voice go up an octave. "W-What? Why? For how long?"

"I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but I hope so."

That's when I knew something was terribly wrong. He might never see me again? There were times in my very, very long life that I had thought I would never see Godric again, but we had always managed to find each other. The world was only so big. The only way we wouldn't be able to see each other was if…

"_No! _No. No, Godric, don't-" I began to plead when the realization hit me. The true death? What had happened to make him think that was an answer? Throughout my life, I had lost nearly everyone I had ever cared about. The only two people left were Godric and Eric. I refused to allow him to lower that number.

"You can't convince me otherwise, Juliana."

Blood tears had started to slide down my cheeks. "Please, Godric. If this is about me, then I'm sorry. I don't want this, I never wanted this."

"This isn't about you, Juliana. You have been the reason I've lived this long. But I know that it's my time." He was trying to be kind to lessen the blow, but it felt like my entire world was crashing down around me. I felt like I was suffocating, and kind words were not going to make me feel better about the situation.

My voice was breaking as I tried to hold back sobs. "How? How can you know that?"

"You won't understand until you feel it for yourself. But watching you be so brave during the past few weeks has really made me see that my time has come. A new era is emerging and I am confident you will be equipped to handle it. You have helped make a change in the world. I have not."

"I didn't want to make a change, Godric! I was just trying to be myself."

"And that is what I admire most about you. But now, now is my time to be _myself_. I wish I had made a change like you had."

I was squeezing his hands and shaking them, as if my force would be enough for him to stay. "You still can if you stay with me. We can be together now- King and Queen, Godric- just like you wanted. Please, Godric, reconsider. I would do anything."

"I want you to be happy, Juliana. And you and I both know that we have never been on the same page about that."

"Just because we haven't been on the same page doesn't mean we don't feel the same way about each other." I stared into his dark eyes, trying to will him to feel the same way he had so many centuries ago. "Don't you love me?"

His eyes softened. "I do love you, Juliana, more than you can possibly imagine."

"Then stay." Godric just sighed and looked down. "I love you," I told him, my voice wavering with emotion.

Godric looked back into my eyes and smiled. "I know, Juliana, trust me. I can feel it in you. You don't have to say it."

"But I want to say it. I want you to know. Please, Godric, I need you to stay."

"No, Juliana," Godric said on a long exhale. "That's just the thing. If I have learned anything over the centuries, it is that you _don't _need me. And neither does Eric, any more.

"I never told Eric this, because he never knew Marius. At least you have met him. I'm sure you remember what kind of vampire he was- very traditional, for his time. But then times started to change, the world was changing all around him. He told me that a great vampire does not wait for another to kill him, and he does not wish to live for all eternity. Humans only have a set amount of time, but vampires have the burden of determining their own. Marius said a great vampire changes the lives of some, and then knows when his time has come to an end. I know that I have done that with you and Eric, whether it was a good change or not, and now my time has come."

"No, Godric. Marius was wrong," I cried out in retort.

It was as if Godric didn't hear me. "I watched as he staked himself. I would not wish that on you or Eric."

"Please, Godric. You're making a mistake. I don't want you to go," I begged.

He released my hands and grabbed the sides of my face. He stroked my hair and kissed my cheek. "I don't want to hurt you, but I wanted you to know."

"No, no, no," I mumbled to myself.

Godric just sighed, "I'm sorry, Juliana. But there is one more thing: I don't want Eric to know."

"You ask too much of me."

"It is because I trust and respect you so much." Godric brushed a piece of my hair out of my face. "Do you believe in Heaven?"

I didn't want to answer, because I didn't want to condone his actions. But the look of genuine anxiety in his eyes was enough for me to answer. "I believe there is peace for everyone in death."

"I hope you're right." Suddenly, Godric leaned into me and embraced me. His lips crashed into mine and an electric shock rattled my body. I allowed his tongue to slip between my lips as he kissed me more passionately and sweetly than I had ever been kissed before. Godric hands massaged my lower back, and I responded by reaching my hands up to grab his face. I never wanted that moment to end or him to leave. But as quickly as he had kissed me goodbye, he had vanished. I felt him pull away from me, and when I opened my eyes to find him- he was gone.

I stayed in my house for weeks, surviving only off my store of True Bloods. I never once left the house, nor did I allow any visitors. I felt like a prisoner on death row- except it was not my death that I was slowly waiting for- it was the breaking of my heart.

Nicholas tried to see me, but I refused to let him come in. He would never understand what I was going through, and explaining it to him would be just as painful as ripping out my heart again like Godric had just done to me. I knew he loved me, but that hardly gave me any solace. The worst part was knowing that my love wasn't enough to keep him here.

I wanted to stop him, but I knew that would be too cruel. I knew Godric well enough to know that when he was determined to do something, it was only a matter of time. Godric had told me he trusted me, and the truth was that I trusted him too. If he believed it was his time, then all I could do was grieve.

Many, many years ago, when I believed that Mae was my only friend, she had said talked freely about what it felt like to lose a maker: _There's this cold despair, like you have nothing left in the world._ She had said that maker and child were bound in the soul, and that each was an essential part of each other. She made it sound like losing a maker was the greatest tragedy in the world.

She had spoke from experience, and although I knew that it was coming, I couldn't help but live in denial that I would have to experience that as well. I told myself that Godric wasn't really going to end his life- that maybe he had changed his mind or that Eric had stopped him. Although I refused to believe that it was coming, in the back of my mind the dread was building.

And then it happened one night. Seemingly without warning, right as I was about to lie down for my day's rest, I felt this terrible pull at my heart. I thought I dying, that some crazy demon was trying to rip my soul right out of my being. I screamed as my heart filled with sadness, and I couldn't stop crying. I cried for hours, and eventually the sadness turned into emptiness. Whatever part of my being had been occupied by Godric was now gone, and in its space was nothing- not even sadness. The hole in my heart threatened to encompass my entire essence, and I felt myself losing even the memory of what it felt like to be happy, or in love. It was as though my entire world was devoid of life itself, and there was nothing and nobody that could make me ever feel again.

The depression and grief drove me insane. I stayed in my house for weeks on end, never even leaving my own bedroom or drinking any blood, not even the synthetic TrueBlood that I had been drinking for years. I had no hunger, only loneliness. Thinking about Godric only made the hole in my heart tear open more.

I was torn out of my grieving coma by the sound of my neighbor's dog barking. I'm sure it wasn't the first time in those weeks that dog had barked, but over my nearly incessant sobbing, it was the first time I had heard the dog. The noise caused me to jump, and for the first time since Godric' passing, I actually felt something that wasn't emptiness or sadness. Granted, it was fear, but still. Once the initial shock of the noise had passed, anger suddenly began to grow. And where sadness had failed to fill the hole in my heart Godric had left, at least anger managed to bandage it.

Anger turned to rage, and in an instant I went from being unable to leave my coffin to racing out of my house and into my neighbors backyard. The dog was just as terrified of me as I had been of it's noise, and shrunk in fear away from me. But it was too late for that. In a nanosecond I had ripped its head right off, and tossed the Chihuahua's remains to the ground. Another dog barked from across the street, and I zoomed over there and snapped the necks of two German Sheppard's. Down the road, I knew there was a poodle. And even though it made no noise, I went over there and killed it too. I didn't see the dogs as pets or innocent creatures; I only could see them as wolves and werewolves that had plagued me throughout my life. I ran around the neighborhood and slaughtered every dog, even going into peoples homes to do the job.

Eventually, I was spotted. It was a single woman, only a few houses down from me, who had a Jack Russell mix. I had to kill that dog- he never could shut up. But the lady saw me, and since I was drenched in my own bloody tears as well as the blood of every neighborhood dog, I had to kill her too. I didn't even drink from her, because I still couldn't muster up any appetite over my rage and grief. But I didn't want to leave her corpse there, so I carried it over to my house and left her in my living room.

A man across the street from me was calling for his dog, believing that he had run away, and so I left and killed him too. Soon, I was on a killing spree, and the entire street- regardless or sex, age, or race- lay dead in heaps in my living room. The floor was soaked with blood, as well as I, but I couldn't help myself. No matter what I did, I couldn't make myself feel any better.

After my killing spree, I went into hibernation again. I sat in my living room, surrounded by death, and cried. This time, however, I was alone for only a few days. I heard a soft tap on the roof of my house, and immediately ceased crying. It sounded like two people, and suddenly I felt hopeful. Godric and Eric, I immediately assumed, must have come to visit me. My blind hope caused me to jump out of my chair and race to the door. When I opened it, I saw Eric… but no Godric.

"Who is that?" I snapped.

Eric glanced a little to the side, as if he had forgotten a blonde woman in pale pink was with him. "That's Pam," he mildly introduced.

"Is she your progeny?" The word 'progeny' fell out of my mouth like acid.

"Yes." Eric pushed me slightly as he entered my home. Pam followed behind him carefully, looking around with a sadistic smirk at the piles of bodies. Eric looked a lot more concerned, and walked back over to me so that he could close the door.

I froze, as I felt a new wave of emotion engulf me- anger, pity, sadness. I did not have what Eric did. And then I remembered Godric, and said, "Is she everything you'd ever hoped she would be?"

Pam stepped forward at the question, so that she could see Eric's face. He turned to her and said softly, "Of course."

In a fit of rage, I dashed at Pam with such speed it startled even her, and grabbed her face, "I hate you," I hissed in Swedish, and then pushed her with all my strength until she hit the wall of my house, destroying it, and tumbled outside.

Eric immediately grabbed my arms and trapped them behind me. "Now that Godric is dead, you can kill me," I reminded him, "I would do it, if I were you."

"You are angry," was his only response, as he wrestled me down to my knees. "You don't want to die, you just want to feel."

"I don't want to feel this anymore," I told him, my voice cracking.

Eric sighed, as if he understood exactly what I meant. I watched as his head surveyed the room, observing the tremendous furry I had unleashed on the human inhabitants of my street. He nodded, and Pam walked back into what was left of my home. Her hair was a little disheveled in the back, but otherwise she was fine.

"Look at everything you've done," he told me, but at least for now I didn't want to see, so I shut my eyes to keep back more tears. "Everything you've done here is exactly what I feel like doing. We are not so different after all."

"No, we are very different, Eric," I hissed, wiggling in his grip in an effort to free myself. "Why _haven't _you done this? Is it because you're a Sherriff? A businessman? A Maker? You have responsibilities, a business, and beautiful progeny. I don't have any of that. You have a life outside of the one Godric gave you, that you created yourself. Godric was everything to me, and I didn't realize that until he was gone."

I finally managed to free myself from Eric, and scrambled off the ground that was saturated with the blood of over three dozen corpses. Eric looked at me with pity, but at the same time, empathy. "I know Godric meant a lot to you, Juliana. He meant a lot to me too."

I knew that was true. There was no denying that Godric and Eric had a special bond. But at that moment, it was hard for me to empathize with him. I could only handle my pain, and I didn't want to consider tackling what Eric must be going through.

Sighing, I sat down on my couch and put my head in my hands. I felt Eric's hand on my shoulder and he said, "You should come back to Shreveport with me."

I looked at his as if he were joking. "I don't belong in Shreveport. I don't belong anywhere."

"I can help you start a new life, if you trust me."

"I don't."

Eric groaned and removed his hand, only to crouch in front of me and grab both of my hands like Godric used to. "Godric would have wanted this. He would have wanted us to stay together, at least for a little while."

Again, I knew this was true. "Godric was always the happiest when we were all together."

Eric nodded and grinned at the thought. "_We _weren't always the happiest together, but he sure was."

"I'm sure we can manage to get along- at least for a little while."

***Days Later***

"Eric, I'm really not sure this is right for me," I shifted uncomfortably next to the Viking. He glanced around his club with a smirk and then turned to me and laughed.

"You'll be fine, I promise. You've dealt with worse."

The club was bustling with humans dressed in skimpy, tight black leather- trying to impersonate the sexy, gothic vampires they had seen on TV. A nervous looking young man in his twenties ran up to me and asked, "Will you bite me, please?"

My nose crinkled up in disgust at the thought of biting him anywhere. "Definitely not. You probably taste like acne medication and deodorant."

"What?"

Eric bent down to his level and growled in his face, baring his fangs and causing the kid to jump. "Get lost," he hissed, and the poor man ran back into the crowd. The Viking straightened his back up again and the smirk returned to his face. "See? Not so bad."

The music was blaring and it was hard for me to think. I rubbed my fingers against my temple and said, "Fangtasia is punny and all, but I'm having my doubts." One of the dancers bent down from her pole to collect a tip from a customer, and I gasped as I saw _way _too much. "Yes, now I'm confident this isn't the right place for me. Thanks for the offer, Eric, but I'd rather sulk in Chicago then whore myself out in this southern slum."

Eric sighed and grabbed my shoulder to keep me from leaving. "First," he said flicking off one of his fingers as he began to count, "If you return to Chicago you will be arrested for murdering your entire street. I doubt the courts would let you walk twice in less than a year. Second, you and I both need to get Godric off our minds, at least for the time being. We need to heal, and we need to do it together. And thirdly, I am offended that you called my bar "southern slum.""

I laughed at the last part and said sarcastically, "My apologizes; I meant to say southern trash."

Eric pushed me lightly, and I pushed back a little harder, causing him to take a step back. The smirk fell from his face, and I was sure he was about to attack me when Pam slid up next to us. "Hmm," she cooed, eyeing me, "I could use someone like her at the door. The humans there don't respect Louis at all, so he lets anyone in. And you know how I can't stand to deal with them. How would you like to handle the door?"

Before I responded, I flickered my eyes to Eric. He seemed pleased with the idea, so I shrugged. "A bouncer? I doubt I look more intimidating than whoever Louis is."

"iIt doesn't matter how intimidating you look, honey, but how powerful you are. And there isn't anyone here more powerful than you." Eric made an insulted grumbled and Pam cocked an eyebrow at him. "There isn't."

"I'll try it."

She smirked, in a way that I thought was very Eric-esq, and linked arms with me. "Then follow me, chickapea." I threw Eric a reluctant glance, but allowed his progeny to lead me to the door. She dismissed a giant bald man, presumably Louis, and placed me in front of the line of humans.

"Now, I like to think of them as a flock of sheep, or a bunch of kindergartners. They need you to lead them where to go. And if they don't belong…" she pointed to an especially young looking boy in the line. "You!"

He looked around quickly and then pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You who looks like your ditching grammar school. Get the hell out of my line, because you're not coming in." The boy lowered his head and hurried away. The rest of the line got very quiet and stared at us. "See?" Pam snickered. "It's actually not so difficult."

I glanced at the line of humans that stretched nearly to the end of the parking lot and suddenly felt nervous. "Like a flock of sheep you said?"

"Mmhmm."

I took a deep breath and shouted, "ID's out! Under 21 and you're not getting in. And don't even try to show me a fake or bargain with me. I know what fakes look like, because I have one myself. And there's nothing you can say or do to change my mind."

Grinning, Pam put her hand on my shoulder. "I think you're going to be just fine."

I sighed, but for the first time since Godric' passing, I felt strong again. "I think I will be too."

**AN: Thank you for all the continued support throughout the months it took me to write this story. Nine months, 180 reviews, and over ninety thousand words later, The Girl Who Said No to Death is finally complete. I really can't say thank you enough, since without all this support I would have never continued this story. It's strange to think that I only put the first chapter up without ever thinking anything would come of it! Thank you so much! I seriously considered listing all the people on who supported me, but since there's practically 180 of you It would have been too long. Thanks for helping me develop my confidence as a writer. Lots of love, Plaid Beans. **


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